• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 2011

This study was performed to assess the microbiological quality and potential health risk of fresh-cut produce and organic vegetables sampled from supermarkets and department stores in Korea. A total of 96 samples comprised three types of fresh-cut produce (sprouts, mixed-vegetables, fruit) and three types of organic vegetables (lettuce, perilla leaf, green pepper). The samples were analyzed for total viable cell counts, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus. The microbiological counts of fruit were very low. Sprouts were highly contaminated by total viable cell counts ($8.3{\pm}0.57$ log CFU/g), Enterobacteriaceae ($7.1{\pm}0.76$ log CFU/g), and coliforms ($4.9{\pm}0.40$ log MPN/g), and showed a high incidence level of B. cereus ($2.9{\pm}0.48$ log CFU/g). Of the fresh-cut produce analyzed, six (13.6%) mixed-vegetable salads were E. coli positive. S. aureus was detected in only one sprout sample and one mixed-vegetable salad, and its contamination levels were under 2 log CFU/g, which is appropriate for Korean standards (<3 log CFU/g) of fresh-cut produce. Of the organic vegetables, lettuces were highly contaminated by total viable cell counts ($6.4{\pm}0.74$ log CFU/g), Enterobacteriaceae ($5.7{\pm}0.98$ log CFU/g), and coliforms ($3.7{\pm}1.72$ log MPN/g). Two (13.6%) organic lettuce and one (7.1%) perillar leaf sample were E. coli positive, and S. aureus was detected in one lettuce and two perilla leaf samples. Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in any of the fresh-cut produce or organic vegetables analyzed.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2011

Almost 10~30% of vegetables were discarded by the spoilage from farms to tables. After harvest, vegetables are often spoiled by a wide variety of microorganisms including many bacterial and fungal species. This investigation was conducted to extent the knowledge of relationship the spoilage of vegetables and the diversity of microbes. The total aerobic bacterial numbers in fresh lettuce, perilla leaf, and chicory were $2.6{\sim}2.7{\times}10^6$, $4.6{\times}10^5$, $1.2{\times}10^6\;CFU/g$ of fresh weight, respectively. The most common bacterial species were Pseudomonas spp., Alysiella spp., and Burkholderia spp., and other 18 more genera were involved in. After one week of incubation of those vegetables at $28^{\circ}C$, the microbial diversity had been changed. The total aerobic bacterial numbers increased to $1.1{\sim}4.6{\times}10^8$, $4.9{\times}10^7$, and $7.6{\times}10^8\;CFU/g$ of fresh weight for lettuce, perilla leaf, and chicory that is about $10^2$ times increased bacterial numbers than that before spoilage. However, the diversity of microbes isolated had been simplified and fewer bacterial species had been isolated. The most bacterial population (~48%) was taken up by Pseudomonas spp., and followed by Arthrobacter spp. and Bacillus spp. The spoilage activity of individual bacterial isolates had been tested using axenic lettuce plants. Among tested isolates, Pseudomonas fluorescence and Pantoea agglomerans caused severe spoilage on lettuce.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-177
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• 2012

Whole apples were cut with a sharp or dull knife, and whole cabbages and crisp lettuce heads were cut into salad or thin strips with a knife or by hand. The fresh-cut apples, cabbages, and lettuce were packed in low-density polyethylene bags and kept at $4^{\circ}C$, and their qualities were investigated. Browning and softening of the apples that were cut with a sharp knife were more delayed than those of the apples that were cut with a dull knife. The soluble solids and pH of the fresh-cut apples were not affected by the sharpness of the cutting blade. The browning indexes of the fresh-cut cabbages and lettuce were significantly lower in the samples that were cut with a knife than by hand and in the samples that were cut into large pieces. The results suggest that the cutting blade sharpness, cutting tools, and cut types affected the quality of the fresh-cut apples and leafy vegetables, and that the cutting methods which minimized the cutting damage should be used to retard the browning and softening of the produce.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.397-411
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• 2009

The use of local product foods and fresh-cut products, the dietitian's recognition, the required items and the quality for school foodservice was investigated to increase the consumption of high-quality agricultural products. Data from 578 elementary schools, 228 middle schools and 116 high schools were collected by school foodservice personnels in each regional Education Administration in Gyeong-gi province. The first criteria of buying food materials was reliability/safety for all school foodservice. The second criteria were the origin of the product and freshness/ripeness for elementary and middle schools and high school, respectively. The most important consideration for selecting a supplier was the quality of the material. The appearance/status of the food was the first factor for buying food materials. The origin and the seasonality were very important for buying farm products. Dietitians in Gyeong-gi province recognized the local products, and used them weekly. The advantages of using local products were the quick supply, freshness and safety. On the other hand, the disadvantages were the lack of information and the uncertainty of supply. Sixty eight percent of the subjects had experienced the high-quality agricultural products in school meals, but the frequency was low. The main reasons for not servicing high-quality agricultural products were the high cost and the lack of trust on the quality. Among fresh-cut products, seasonings and root vegetables were purchased most frequently, but leaf vegetables was 5.7% only. The purchase of fresh-cut products was not frequent, but usually satisfied. The advantages of fresh-cut products were the reduced workload and waste, but the reason for not using them were poor hygiene and the high price. The diverse supply system and the promotion of the local product foods would be necessary since the most food materials were purchased through suppliers. In addition, the problems related to the high cost and distrust should be resolved to expand the consumption of the high-quality agricultural products and the fresh-cut vegetables. The institutions for certifying the quality should be needed to increase the confidence of these products.

• Safe Food
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.18-27
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• 2013

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.23-29
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• 2013

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.111-115
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• 1977

Vegetables and fruits purchased from several markets in Seoul from July to October in 1977 were analyzed to know the level of nitrate-and nitrite-nitrogen accumulation in relation to a public health. Radishes and chinese cabbages utilized mainly as pickled vegetables in Korea resulted in the highest concentration of nitrate-nitrogen. Some of the levels for radishes and chinese cabbages were notably high and exceeded a recommended upper limit of 300 ppm $No_{3}-N$, and thus these levels would render these samples unsafe for use. The levels in some of vegetables other than radish and chinese cabbage, e.g., spinach, lettuce, green onion, cabbage were relatively high and considered to be unsafe for use in feeding infants, where as those of green pepper, bean sprouts and parsely were very low and safe. And also the levells in fruits were very low and safe. Nitrite-nitrogen contents in all tested vegetables and fruits ranged to trace and appeared not to be accumulated in fresh vegetables and fruits. Stems and roots of radishes and chinese cabbages accumulated approximately 2 fold more nitrate-nitrogen than leaves in 5 samples of each vegetable tested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.315-321
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• 1994

In order to prevent the postharvest decay and to promote the freshness retention of fruits and vegetables grapefruit seed extract(GFSE), natural microorganism control agent, was applied to the preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables. Freshfruits and vegetables treated with GFSE and stored in polyethylene film (0.1mm) at 1$0^{\circ}C$-15$^{\circ}C$ of natural low temperature low kept better qualities in color and texture than the GFSE -not- treated control. The treatment using GFSE ina 250ppm to 500ppm concentration seemed to be an effective one for the control of Botrytis cinerea isolated in red wine grapes. After 4 weeks of storage the firmness rate of cucumbers treated with the dilute GFSE was four times higher than that of non-treated ones. GFSE showed effective inhibitory action towards plant pathological bacteria and fungi which were involved in the decay of fruits and vegetables. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of GFSE towards them were in the range of 250ppm to 500ppm .Direct visualization of microbial cells and spores using electron microscopy showed microbial cells and fungal spores the function of which was destroyed by treating with the dilute solutions of GFSE. It was observed that GFSE would reduced disease damages and have bactericide & fungicide properties during the storage of such fruits and vegetables as egg plant, wild edible greens , kumquat, and kiwi fruit.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.227-235
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• 2018

Foodborne illness represents a major threat to public health and is frequently attributed to pathogenic microorganisms on fresh produce. Recurrent outbreaks often come from vegetables that are grown close to or within the ground. Therefore, the first step to understanding the public health risk of microorganisms on fresh vegetables is to identify and describe microbial communities. We investigated the phyllospheres on Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis, N = 54). 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V5-V6 region of 16S rRNA genes was conducted by employing the Illumina MiSeq system. Sequence quality was assessed, and phylogenetic assessments were performed using the RDP classifier implemented in QIIME with a bootstrap cutoff of 80%. Principal coordinate analysis was performed using a weighted Fast UniFrac matrix. The average number of sequence reads generated per sample was 34,584. At the phylum level, bacterial communities were composed primarily of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The most abundant genera on Chinese cabbages were Chryseobacterium, Aurantimonadaceae_g, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas. Diverse potential pathogens, such as Pantoea, Erwinia, Klebsiella, Yersinia, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and Clostridium were also detected from the samples. Although further epidemiological studies will be required to determine whether the detected potential pathogens are associated with foodborne illness, our results imply that a metagenomic approach can be used to detect pathogenic bacteria on fresh vegetables.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.289-299
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• 1997

This study was performed with survay in the field and literature. The result were; 1. In Vietnam, They took their meal in three times a day. They have taken Nuoc nam (fish sauce) with sliced red pepper, half a lime, etc... in every day every night. Fish Sauce was prepared with small fish (generally fresh- water fish), the same amount of salt, and stored in 8 months, and made filltered fluid. It's Nuoc mam. They have gained protein sauce from it. 2. Their basic menu were composed with rice, soup, food with marine products and meat (generally pork), various vegetables, tropical fruit. 3. Food of cereals were Com Trang (white rice), Pho (rice noodle), Chao (rice gruel), Banh Trang (rice paper), Banh mi (bread) etc... Food of meat were Ho sua, Banh bao chien (barbecued little pork), Suon Nuon (grilled pork), Cha Lua (sausage of pork) etc..., Thit be nhung (grilled beef, Dog meat, Chicken, Duck, Frog. Food of fish were generally fresh-water fish, Ca Chien (grilled fish), Canh chua (soup with sour taste), Ca chem chung (steamed fish with fragrant vegetable), Lobster, Crab, Oyster, Cuttlefish, Shellfish, etc... Food of vegetables were Doa Hanh (Kimchi with a welsh onion), Rau xao hon hop (roasted vegetables), Goi Tom (salad), Canh he dau hu (soup) etc..., and They took much food of trophical fruit, Tra (Tea), Coffee, Lua Moi (distilled liquor). 4. For example, Their Daily meal were composed of Sup Bong Ca (Soup), Heo Sua, Banh Bao Chien (barbecued little Pork), Top Hap (steamed shrimp), Cua (steamed Crab), Luon Um (bioled a fresh-water eel), Lau Thap Cam, Hai Sam Sac Nam Dong Co, Trai Cay.