• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.249-257
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• 2015

The purposes of this study were to develop a small scale post-harvest facility, and consequently to evaluate the effects of applying the facility along with hygiene education on the level of microbial safety in Korean leeks production. A total of 135 samples were collected at three Korean leeks farms in Yangju, Gyeonggi province. Food safety indicators (Aerobic plate count (APC), coliform count, and Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) on/in the samples were assessed. The microbial load measured as APC with harvesting tools such as comb, chopping board, and knife, at the farms where the small scale post-harvest facility had been operated (Farms A and B) was lower than that at another farm having no post-harvest facility (Farm C) by 1.44~2.33 log CFU / $100cm^2$. Moreover, the chopping board from Farm C was observed being contaminated with B. cereus at 6.03 log CFU / $100cm^2$. The coliform counts from the samples increased by 0.57~1.89 log CFU/g after leeks was submerged in ground water for washing. E. coli was recovered from leeks, soil, and the ground water used in the washing process, while no E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes was detected. Our results indicated that the small scale post-harvest facility developed in this study as well as the hygiene education played an important role in enhancing the level of microbial food safety in the leeks production environment. However, a disinfection technique could be needed during the washing step in order to prevent a potential contamination.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.260-267
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• 2014

To evaluate microbiological and aflatoxin safety on traditional dried persimmon, a total of 315 samples were collected from 105 farms. The collected samples were assessed on aflatoxin and microorganisms (Aerobic plate count, coliform count, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus). The the APC of sliced dried persimmon, dried persimmon, and semi dried persimmon were $3.93{\pm}0.96$, $2.12{\pm}0.93$, and $1.50{\pm}1.08{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. S. aureus was detected in 40.0% of sliced dried persimmon, 29.5% of dried persimmon, and 23.5% of semi dried persimmon. E. coli recovered from dried persimmon and semi dried persimmon was 6.6%, and 2.9%, respectively. However, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes were not detected. According to the result of aflatoxin by ELISA and UPLC, aflatoxin was not detected in any sample. These data suggested that safety management system should be introduce to the farms producing traditional dried persimmon to enhance the safety of traditional dried persimmon.