• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.21 no.1 s.85
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• pp.75-83
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• 2005

The present study was conducted to investigate effect of blanching time on changes in vitamin and mineral contents in leafy vegetables treated by different pesticides. Vitamin A content of fresh leafy vegetables was high whorled mallow > chard > spinach in order and vitamin C content of those was high spinach > whorled mallow > chard in order. Vitamin A and C contents of leafy vegetables treated by non-systemic pesticide were higher than those of leafy vegetables treated by systemic pesticide. Changes in vitamin A and C contents of leafy vegetables treated by systemic pesticide and non-systemic pesticide showed a similar trend. Vitamin A content significantly increased, while vitamin C content significantly decreased by conventional blanching. Changes in mineral contents in leafy vegetables treated by systemic pesticide and non-systemic pesticide showed a similar trend. Upon conventional blanching, Mg in spinach, Mg and Ca in chard and whorled mallow slightly increased, while K in all leafy vegetables remarkably decreased, and Se in spinach slightly decreased and Se in other vegetables remarkably decreased. On the other hand, Na, P, Fe, Cu and Zn in all leafy vegetables slightly decreased or did not show any change.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2019

Revision work on the Codex Classification of Foods and Animal Feeds was undertaken in 2007 and presently, revisions for most food groups have been completed. For vegetables, the work was conducted during 2014-2017, and the final draft revision was adopted by the $40^{th}$ Codex Alimentarius Commission (2017). Here, the revised classification of vegetable commodities is introduced in order to be utilized in various food-related fields, in particular, food safety regulation. The revised classification is briefly summarized as follows: Codex classified vegetables into 10 groups (Group 009-018): bulb vegetables (Group 009), Brassica vegetables (except Brassica leafy vegetables) (Group 010), fruiting vegetables, Cucurbits (Group 011), fruiting vegetables, other than Cucurbits (Group 012), leafy vegetables (including Brassica leafy vegetables) (Group 013), legume vegetables (Group 014), pulses (Group 015), root and tuber vegetables (Group 016), stalk and stem vegetables (Group 017) and edible fungi (Group 018). The groups are further divided into a total of 33 subgroups. In the Classification, 430 different commodity codes are assigned to vegetable commodities. Meanwhile, Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) does not include potatoes, beans and mushrooms within a vegetable group. In addition, the MFDS divides one vegetable group into six subgroups including flowerhead Brassicas, leafy vegetables, stalk and stem vegetables, root and tuber vegetables, fruiting vegetables, Cucurbits, and fruiting vegetables other than Cucurbits. Therefore, care is needed in using the Codex Classification.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.21 no.2 s.86
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• pp.201-208
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of blanching time on changes of hazardous factors in leafy vegetables treated by systemic and non-systemic pesticides. Changes of hazardous factors in leafy vegetables treated by systemic and non-systemic pesticides showed the same trend. In changes of microbial counts in leafy vegetables according to blanching time, the total plate count was significantly decreased by blanching and total coliforms were not detected in any of the vegetables. In traceable metal contents of fresh vegetables before washing, the levels in spinach, chard and whorled mallow were 0.042, 0.040 and 0.032 ppm for Pb, 0.020, 0.023 and 0.019 ppm for Cd, and 0.029, 0.034 and 0.030 ppm for As, respectively. Therefore, the levels of Pb, Cd and As in leafy vegetables were very traceable and in terms of food safety there was no problem. On the other hand, the traceable metal contents in leafy vegetables did not show significant difference by blanching and blanching time. Nitrate contents in fresh vegetables before washing were detected at traceable levels. The nitrate contents in spinach, chard and whorled mallow were significantly decreased by $22\%,\;17\%\;and\;14\%$ after blanching time of 5 min, 9 min and 10 min, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to determine basic information on the microbiological quality of environmentally friendly vegetables used in school foodservices. Comparisons were made on the microbiological quality of eight different kinds of vegetables grown by environmentally friendly agricultural methods and ordinary agricultural methods to determine if there were significant differences. In the raw materials, aerobic plate counts were as follows: lettuce 4.58~7.43 log CFU/g, winter plowing chinese cabbage 5.61~7.36 log CFU/g, Korean leek 5.81 log CFU/g to TNTC (too numerous to Count), cabbage 5.93~6.43 log CFU/g, sesame leaves 3.15~5.23 log CFU/g, cucumber 5.00~5.79 log CFU/g, cherry tomato 2.96~5.40 log CFU/g, paprika 1.30~3.52 log CFU/g. In the comparison of the microbiological quality between environmentally friendly and ordinary agricultural vegetables, their acceptable ratio was the same (81.3%) and the mean aerobic plate counts was not significantly different. In the comparison of the microbiological quality between the leafy vegetables and the fruity vegetables, the fruity vegetables had a 100% acceptable ratio regardless of the agricultural method used to grow them, while the leafy vegetables had an acceptable ratio of 70%. In terms of the aerobic plate counts, the leafy vegetables had significantly higher counts; the leafy vegetables 5.87${\pm}$1.18 log CFU/g, the fruity vegetables 4.12${\pm}$1.54 log CFU/g.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.783-791
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to provide baseline information that could encourage consumers and establish the direction of development for sprouts and leafy vegetables. A survey on the consumption and preference for sprouts and leafy vegetables of 823 people over 20 years of age in Seoul and Gyeonggi province was conducted. The preference for sprouts was higher in men ($3.75{\pm}0.96$) than in women ($3.64{\pm}0.84$), whereas the preference for leafy vegetables was higher in women ($4.06{\pm}0.74$) than in men ($3.88{\pm}0.90$). Based on age, the respondents in their 40s or above had high preferences for sprouts and leaf vegetables due to the importance that they accorded to health and nutrition (p<0.01). The sprouts and leafy vegetables were purchased mainly for their high nutritional value. The purchase frequency of once a month or more for leafy vegetables (82.7%) was higher than that for sprouts (57.1%). The consumers purchased sprouts and leafy vegetables mainly from a large discount store. The respondents in their 20s showed the highest percentage of purchasing from a local store whereas the older ones showed a high preference for traditional markets. The reason for the choice of the place of purchase was convenience. The freshness and price were important factors in the consumption of sprouts and leafy vegetables. In the case of leafy vegetables, the consumers preferred to buy them using the conventional weight measurement system rather than in small packages. On the other hand, mixed small packages were preferred for sprouts. The purchase frequency was correlated with the preferences, need for improvement and purchase intent for sprouts and leafy vegetables. The aspects that require improvement for producing high-quality sprouts and leafy vegetables were the nutritional and functional properties. To increase the consumption of sprouts and leafy vegetables, there is need for variations and improvement of the quality and safety of the products.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.216-222
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• 2017

Antioxidant rich green leafy vegetables including garden spinach leaf, water spinach leaf, Indian spinach leaf, and green leaved amaranth were selected to evaluate the effects of water boiling and oil frying on their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), reducing power (RP), and antioxidant capacity. The results revealed that there was a significant increase in TPC, TFC, and RP in all the selected vegetables indicating the effectiveness of the cooking process on the antioxidant potential of leafy vegetables. Both cooking processes enhanced significantly (P<0.05) the radical scavenging ability, especially the oil fried samples showed the highest values. There is a significant reduction in the vitamin C content in all the vegetables due to boiling and frying except in the Indian spinach leaf. However, the present findings suggest that boiling and frying can be used to enhance the antioxidant ability, by increasing the bioaccessibility of health-promoting constituents from the four vegetables investigated in this study.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.21 no.2 s.86
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• pp.190-194
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the changes in contents of total flavonoid and total polyphenol of three leafy vegetables, spinach(Spinacia oleracea L.), chard(Beta vulgaris L.), whorled mallow(Malva verticillata L.) by various blanching times. Total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents of spinach were 21.01 and 25.58 mg/g, those of chard were 26.02 and 35.14 mg/g, and those of whorled mallow were 16.80 and 19.94 mg/g, respectively. Total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents of chard were the highest among the leafy vegetables. Total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents of leafy vegetables were decreased according to blanching time. Especially, total flavonoid content of chard showed significant loss of $15-30\%$ by blanching time. Total polyphenol content of whorled mallow showed loss of $37-39\%$, but the decrease was not significant.

• 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.31 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate contamination sources of baby leafy vegetables by assessing microbial loads on baby leafy vegetables and agricultural inputs contacted with the vegetables. To estimate microbial loads, fecal indicators (coliform and Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) were examined. A total of 126 samples including eleven kinds of leafy vegetables, irrigation water, media, and tools were tested, resulting in coliform contamination observed from most of samples. For E. coli, 10.3% (13/126) of the samples were positive including irrigation water, knife, handler, media, tools, and three kinds of leafy vegetables. B. cereus was detected from 38% (48/126) of the samples including media, tools and three kinds of leafy vegetables. No E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes was detected. This result implies that contacting with agricultural inputs could explain microbial load of baby leafy vegetables.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2023

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite in eliminating Escherichia coli strains from leafy green and stem vegetables, which are frequently sold at community service centers. A cocktail of non-pathogenic E. coli and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (E. coli O157:H7) was used to artificially contaminate the vegetables (initial numbers of bacteria 7-8 log CFU/g). The contaminated vegetables were soaked in sodium hypochlorite for 5 min and then washed three times with running water. After the treatment, number of viable bacterial cells on the vegetables was estimated. Sodium hypochlorite treatment reduced the E. coli population by 1-2 log CFU/g on leafy green and stem vegetables, a significant reduction from the initial number. Further, sodium hypochlorite showed better antimicrobial efficacy for leaves with a larger surface area, less roughness, and softness. There was no significant difference in the antimicrobial effect between 100 and 200 mg/kg of sodium hypochlorite. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase sodium hypochlorite concentration than the level suggested in the school meal hygiene management guidelines. However, sodium hypochlorite treatment is not sufficient to achieve a safe level of microorganisms on leafy green and stem vegetables since they generally have a high abundance of microorganisms on their surface. Thus, an alternative cooking method for fresh leafy green and stem vegetables in summer should be developed to ensure they are safe for consumption.