The microbiological contamination of minimally processed vegetables was measured before and after processing and at different times and storage temperatures (5 and 10 days at 4 and 20 C). To evaluate the efficacy of the overall process the water used for washing and rinsing the vegetables during the various phases of the operation were also examined. Thanks to the high quality of the vegetables at origin, simple chlorine treatment was sufficient to achieve a satisfactory reduction in coliforms, Escherichia coli, coliphages and saprophytic flora, thus ensuring that all of the freshly packed samples conformed to reference standards and guidelines. This conformity was maintained when the storage instructions indicated on the package (4 C for 5 days) were followed. However, the persistence of faecal indicators after treatment suggested a potential risk of infection that could increase if the original contamination was higher. Microbiological examination of the water used for preliminary washing and for rinsing was seen to be useful in the assessment of the safety of the vegetables, at origin and after processing. The advantage of choosing coliphages for such monitoring is that they are indicators of viral contamination that can be measured rapidly. Critical points to be checked during the process are the levels of residual chlorine remaining in the washing tanks and the storage temperatures.

Effect of processing and storage conditions on the microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables / Legnani P.; Leoni E.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. - ISSN 0950-5423. - STAMPA. - 39:(2004), pp. 1061-1068. [10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.00891.x]

Effect of processing and storage conditions on the microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables.

LEGNANI, PIER PAOLO;LEONI, ERICA
2004

Abstract

The microbiological contamination of minimally processed vegetables was measured before and after processing and at different times and storage temperatures (5 and 10 days at 4 and 20 C). To evaluate the efficacy of the overall process the water used for washing and rinsing the vegetables during the various phases of the operation were also examined. Thanks to the high quality of the vegetables at origin, simple chlorine treatment was sufficient to achieve a satisfactory reduction in coliforms, Escherichia coli, coliphages and saprophytic flora, thus ensuring that all of the freshly packed samples conformed to reference standards and guidelines. This conformity was maintained when the storage instructions indicated on the package (4 C for 5 days) were followed. However, the persistence of faecal indicators after treatment suggested a potential risk of infection that could increase if the original contamination was higher. Microbiological examination of the water used for preliminary washing and for rinsing was seen to be useful in the assessment of the safety of the vegetables, at origin and after processing. The advantage of choosing coliphages for such monitoring is that they are indicators of viral contamination that can be measured rapidly. Critical points to be checked during the process are the levels of residual chlorine remaining in the washing tanks and the storage temperatures.
2004
Effect of processing and storage conditions on the microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables / Legnani P.; Leoni E.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. - ISSN 0950-5423. - STAMPA. - 39:(2004), pp. 1061-1068. [10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.00891.x]
Legnani P.; Leoni E.
File in questo prodotto:
Eventuali allegati, non sono esposti

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/1753
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 25
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 22
social impact