• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.393-398
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to isolate pathogenic Escherichia coli from fresh vegetables with selective media and Petrifilm, and identify a suspicious colony using biochemical identification. Twenty gram of lettuce, twenty gram of cabbage and ten gram of sprout were prepared, and a 5-strain mixture of pathogenic E. coli (Enterohemorrhagic E. coli NCCP11142, Enterotoxigenic E. coli NCCP14037, Enteropathogenic E. coli NCCP14038, Enteroaggregative E. coli NCCP14039, Enteropathogenic E. coli NCCP15661) was inoculated to obtain 1, 2 and 3 log CFU/g. Eighty to ninety milliliter of buffered peptone water (BPW) was placed and pummeled for 60 s. As a results, the Petrifilm method was all positive, but enrichment method of qualitative analysis was negative except for 3-log CFU/g inoculated lettuce. Regarding biochemical identification of pathogenic E. coli, the identification rates were dependent on type of methods and vegetables; lettuce: API 20E 100% (44/44), Microgen GNA 100% (44/44) and Food System 66.7% (10/15), cabbage: API 20E 64.7% (22/34), Microgen GNA 50% (16/32) and Food System 60% (9/15), sprout: API 20E 65.1% (28/43), Microgen GNA 62.3% (27/43) and Food System 53.3% (8/15). These results could be useful in determining an appropriate method to detect pathogenic E. coli in fresh vegetables.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.526-533
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate hazardous microorganisms in mixed baby leafy vegetables and various baby leafy vegetables used as raw materials for fresh-cut produce in spring and summer. To estimate microbial loads, a total of 298 samples including 181 samples of mixed baby leafy vegetables purchased in a Korean market and 117 samples of various baby leafy vegetables from distribution companies were collected. Fecal indicators (coliform and Escherichia coli) as well as food-borne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus) were enumerated. As a result, the mixed baby leafy vegetable samples showed significantly higher (P<0.05) coliform bacteria numbers in summer (5.59±1.18 log CFU/g) compared to spring (3.60±2.53 log CFU/g). E. coli was detected in 1.3% (1/79) and 42.2% (43/102) of samples collected in spring and summer, respectively. Only one sample collected from a market in spring was contaminated with S. aureus. In the experiment with baby leafy vegetables, the number of coliforms detected in baby leafy vegetables cultivated in soil in spring was 1.15±1.95 log CFU/g, and that in summer was 4.09±2.52 log CFU/g. However, the number of coliforms recovered from baby leafy vegetables cultivated in media was above 5.0 log CFU/g regardless of season. Occurrences of E. coli were 44.4% (12/27) and 19.0% (4/21) for baby leafy vegetables cultivated in soil and media, respectively. However, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. were not detected. These results are in relation to microbial loads on mixed baby leafy vegetables associated with raw materials. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement hygienic practices at baby leafy vegetable farms to enhance the safety of fresh produce.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2011

Risk ranking must be determined for various hazards/food combinations to conduct microbial risk management effectively. Risk Ranger is a simple, easy-to-use calculation tool developed in Microsoft Excel and designed to rank the risk (low, medium, and high) for semi-quantitative microbial risk assessment. The user is required to answer 11 questions in Risk Ranger related to 1) severity of the hazard, 2) likelihood of a disease-causing dose of the hazard being present in the meal, and 3) the probability of exposure to the hazard in a defined time. This study determined the risk ranking for twenty three combinations of foodborne pathogens/potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) using a Risk Ranger. In this study, pathogenic E. coli in fresh cut produce salad was scored as 79, which was the highest rank among the 23 combinations of the foodborne pathogens and PHFs. On the other hand, zero risk was obtained with V parahaemolyticus in sushi, Salmonella in meat products and E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger patties. Although Risk Ranger is very simple method to rate the risk of foodborne pathogens and PHFs combination, the accuracy of result was mainly affected by the availability and accuracy of data in the literature. According to the result of literature review, the data are needed for contamination rate of raw materials, consumption amount/frequency of PHFs, and the effect of processing on pathogen. Risk ranking must be continuously revalidated with new data.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.144-147
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• 2014

It was intended to closely examine an effect that a change in the concentration of culture medium had on the potato(Solanum tuberosum L.) plantlet growth in the microponic system so as to mass-produce the virus-free plant of new variety 'Saebong' for potato processing. The adjusted concentration of potato culture medium was 0.2, 0.6, 1.0, 1.4, 1.8, and $14.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. And potato seedling was cut into pieces of 1.5 cm in length, which included 2 growth points and leaves. And each was explanted in glass vial of 50 mL. And experiments were carried out twice for 18 days or 21days. Culture medium of 2ml was put in the container respectively. And 1 mL was added after 10 days. And in terms of cultivation environment, the experiment was carried out at the day length of 16 hours at the temperature of $23{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ under the white LED light of $40{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. The concentration of culture medium in the experiment I was EC 0.2, 1.0, $14dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and was adjusted to 0.6, 1.0, 1.4, $1.8dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ in the experiment II. The results showed that the survival rate of plantlet was 90% at $0.2dS^2m^{-1}$, 100% at $0.6dS^2m^{-1}$, 100% at $1.0dS^2m^{-1}$. 0% at $1.4dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, 0% at $1.8dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. and 0% at $14.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ after 7 days. With regard to the explanted potato seedling, in case of the treatment where the electrical conductivity of culture medium was adjusted to $1.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, root developed 2 days after transplantation. And the plantlet vigorously grew into strong plant that had 7 leaves, length of 5cm, and fresh weight of 0.5 g after 18 days. In case of the treatment where the concentration of culture medium was adjusted to $0.6dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, the root plantlets developed 4 days after transplantation. And those grew into plant that had 7 leaves and fresh weight of 0.2 g after 21 days. Therefore, we found that it is effective to control potato culture medium by adjusting its electrical conductivity to $0.6{\sim}1.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ for the mass production of virus-free potato seedling in the microponic system.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.477-488
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• 2020

Recently, foodborne illness outbreaks linked to fresh produce are being increasingly reported in the United States, the EU, and Korea as well. Some of this increase may be due to improved surveillance, increase in consumption, change in consumers' habits, and complex distribution systems. Garlic chive is a green, fresh-cut vegetable consumed year-round as a nutrition-rich herb in Korea. It is also prone to contamination with foodborne pathogens during pre-harvest, as amendment with high amounts of livestock manure or compost to soil is required in its cultivation. Our aim in this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of garlic chives, garlic chives cultivation soil, compost, and irrigation water in the southern part of Korea. Samples were collected in A, B, and C regions in 2019 and 2020, and 69, 72, 27, and 40 of garlic chives, soil, compost, and irrigated water, respectively, were analyzed for the presence of sanitary indicator bacteria (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms and Escherichia coli), Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. In A, B, and C regions, levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform, B. cereus, and S. aureus on all samples were between 1.14 and 8.83 log CFU/g, 0.43 and 5.01 log CFU/g, 0.41 and 5.55 log CFU/g, and 1.81 and 6.27 log CFU/g, respectively. B. cereus isolated from garlic chives and environmental samples showed β-hemolysis activity. Incidence of S. aureus in garlic chive and its production environments in 2020 was different from 2019. In this study, B. cereus and S. aureus were the only pathogenic microorganisms detected in all samples. As a result, this work suggests that continuous monitoring in the production and pre-harvest environment is required to improve hthe hygiene and safety of garlic chive.