scholarly journals Environmental and Fecal Indicator Organisms on Fruit Contact Surfaces and Fruit from Blueberry Mechanical Harvesters

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Renee M. Holland ◽  
Jinru Chen ◽  
Himabindu Gazula ◽  
Harald Scherm
Keyword(s):  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Food Contact Surfaces ◽  
Fruit Samples ◽  
Conveyor Belts ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Microbial Risks ◽  
Yeasts And Molds

Although previous studies have examined microbial loads on food contact surfaces in blueberry packing plants, there is currently no information regarding microbial risks associated with mechanical berry harvesters used in commercial blueberry production. In this study, we surveyed up to nine fruit contact surfaces on seven mechanical harvesters in each of 2015 and 2016 in the field. These surfaces included the shaking rods at the front of the harvester, the sidewalls of the harvesting tunnel behind the shaking mechanism, the catcher plates collecting the detached berries, horizontal and vertical fruit conveyor belts, and berry lugs collecting the fruit at the back of the harvester. Swab samples were collected from each surface three times a day (morning, noon, and evening) and assessed for environmental and fecal indicator organisms including total aerobes, total yeasts and molds, coliforms and fecal coliforms, and enterococci. At the same time points, fruit samples were assessed for microbial loads before the fruit entered each harvester and after they exited the harvester. Results showed statistically significant differences in microbial loads among harvester surfaces, whereas the effect of sampling time was generally not significant. High levels of total aerobes and total yeasts and molds were recorded, especially on horizontal surfaces and/or those located at the bottom of the harvester such as the lower sidewall, the catcher plates, and the horizontal conveyor belt. These surfaces therefore should be targeted by cleaning and sanitization practices. There was also statistical evidence that passage through the harvester may increase the levels of the environmental microorganisms on fruit in the field. In contrast, fecal indicator organisms such as fecal coliforms and enterococci were detected only sporadically and at very low densities on harvester surfaces and blueberry fruit, and there was no evidence that passage through the harvester increased their levels on the fruit. Berry lugs consistently harbored microbial loads, and given their movement back and forth between the field and the packing plant, deserve particular attention with regard to cleaning, sanitization, and storage protocols.

The relationship between three potential pathogens and pollution indicator organisms in Nova Scotian coastal waters

1983 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1261-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Robertson ◽  
R. S. Tobin
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Filtration ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Most Probable Number ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Filtration Method ◽  
Probable Number ◽  
Pollution Indicator ◽  
Nova Scotian

Fifteen stations, in two estuaries, along the Northumberland Strait of Nova Scotia were examined between June and September 1981 for a relationship between the concentrations of commonly monitored fecal indicator bacteria and the potential pathogens Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Increased densities of these three organisms were usually associated with high densities of indicator bacteria. Whereas C. albicans and P. aeruginosa occur in human fecal wastes, V. parahaemolyticus is indigenous to the marine environment and positively responds to elevated nutrient levels in sewage. There is also some evidence that these bacteria survive as long or longer in marine waters than the common indicator bacteria. While membrane-filtration techniques for the enumeration of C. albicans and P. aeruginosa proved satisfactory, a V. parahaemolyticus membrane-filtration method lacked specificity and was supplemented by a most-probable-number method. In marine recreational and shellfish waters, these three organisms could complement fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci as indicators of human fecal contamination.

scholarly journals The Cheese Production Facility Microbiome Exhibits Temporal and Spatial Variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared Johnson ◽  
Chris Curtin ◽  
Joy Waite-Cusic
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Cheddar Cheese ◽  
Starter Cultures ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Food Contact ◽  
Food Contact Surfaces ◽  
Repeated Sampling ◽  
Conveyor Belts ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Cheese Production

A primary goal of modern cheese manufacturing is consistent product quality. One aspect of product quality that remains poorly understood is the variability of microbial subpopulations due to temporal or facility changes within cheese production environments. Therefore, our aim was to quantify this variability by measuring day-day and facility-facility changes in the cheese facility microbiome. In-process product (i.e., milk and cheese) and food-contact surfaces were sampled over the course of three production days at three cheese manufacturing facilities. Microbial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA metabarcoding and by plating on selective growth media. Each facility produced near-identical Cheddar cheese recipes on near-identical processing equipment during the time of sampling. Each facility also used a common pool of Lactococcus starter cultures which were rotated daily as groups of 4–5 strains and selected independently at each facility. Diversity analysis revealed significant facility-facility and day-day differences at each sample location. Facility differences were greatest on the food contact surfaces (i.e., draining-matting conveyor belts), explaining between 25 and 41% of the variance. Conversely, daily differences within each facility explained a greater proportion of the variance in the milk (20% vs. 12%) and cheese (29% vs. 20%). Further investigation into the sources of these differences revealed the involvement of several industrially relevant bacteria, including lactobacilli, which play a central role in flavor and texture development during Cheddar cheese ripening. Additionally, Streptococcus was found to contribute notably to differences observed in milk samples, whereas Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, Lactococcus, Exiguobacterium, and Enterobacteriaceae contributed notably to differences on the food contact surfaces. Facility differences in the cheese were overwhelmingly attributed to the rotation of Lactococcus starter cultures, thus highlighting circumstances where daily microbial shifts could be misinterpreted and emphasizing the importance of repeated sampling over time. The outcomes of this work highlight the complexity of the cheese facility microbiome and demonstrate daily and facility-facility microbial variations which might impact cheese product quality.

scholarly journals Comparing Source of Agricultural Contact Water and the Presence of Fecal Indicator Organisms on the Surface of ‘Juliet’ Grape Tomatoes

2013 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 967-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONNA M. PAHL ◽  
ADRIANA TELIAS ◽  
MICHAEL NEWELL ◽  
ANDREA R. OTTESEN ◽  
CHRISTOPHER S. WALSH
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Tomato Fruit ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Microbial Water Quality ◽  
Fruit Surface

Consumption of fresh tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) has been implicated as the cause of several foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, most notably in cases of salmonellosis. How the levels of fecal indicator organisms (FIOs) in water relate to the counts of these microorganisms on the tomato fruit surface is unknown, although microbial water quality standards exist for agricultural use. This study utilized four types of FIOs currently and historically used in microbial water quality standards (Enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli) to monitor the water quality of two surface ponds and a groundwater source. The groundwater tested contained significantly lower counts of all FIOs than the two surface water sources (P < 0.05). Considerable variability in bacterial counts was found in the surface water sources over the course of the season, perhaps explained by environmental variables, such as water temperature, pH, precipitation, and air temperature (R2 of 0.13 to 0.27). We also monitored the fruit surface of grape tomatoes treated with overhead applications of the different water sources over the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons. The type of water source and time of year significantly affected the populations of FIOs in irrigation water (P < 0.05). Despite up to 5-log differences in fecal coliforms and 3-log differences in E. coli between the water sources, there was little difference in the populations measured in washes taken from tomato fruits. This lack of association between the aforementioned FIOs present in the water samples and on the tomato fruit surface demonstrates the difficulty in developing reliable metrics needed for testing of agricultural water to ensure the effectiveness of food safety programs.

scholarly journals Persistence and Differential Survival of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Subtropical Waters and Sediments

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 3041-3048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly L. Anderson ◽  
John E. Whitlock ◽  
Valerie J. Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Fecal Pollution ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Differential Survival ◽  
Fecal Indicator

ABSTRACT Fecal coliforms and enterococci are indicator organisms used worldwide to monitor water quality. These bacteria are used in microbial source tracking (MST) studies, which attempt to assess the contribution of various host species to fecal pollution in water. Ideally, all strains of a given indicator organism (IO) would experience equal persistence (maintenance of culturable populations) in water; however, some strains may have comparatively extended persistence outside the host, while others may persist very poorly in environmental waters. Assessment of the relative contribution of host species to fecal pollution would be confounded by differential persistence of strains. Here, freshwater and saltwater mesocosms, including sediments, were inoculated with dog feces, sewage, or contaminated soil and were incubated under conditions that included natural stressors such as microbial predators, radiation, and temperature fluctuations. Persistence of IOs was measured by decay rates (change in culturable counts over time). Decay rates were influenced by IO, inoculum, water type, sediment versus water column location, and Escherichia coli strain. Fecal coliform decay rates were significantly lower than those of enterococci in freshwater but were not significantly different in saltwater. IO persistence according to mesocosm treatment followed the trend: contaminated soil > wastewater > dog feces. E. coli ribotyping demonstrated that certain strains were more persistent than others in freshwater mesocosms, and the distribution of ribotypes sampled from mesocosm waters was dissimilar from the distribution in fecal material. These results have implications for the accuracy of MST methods, modeling of microbial populations in water, and efficacy of regulatory standards for protection of water quality.

Removal of fecal indicator organisms and parasites (fecal coliforms and helminth eggs) from municipal biologic sludge by anaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic digestion

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 97-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rojas Oropeza ◽  
N. Cabirol ◽  
S. Ortega ◽  
L. P. Castro Ortiz ◽  
A. Noyola
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Anaerobic Sludge ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Fecal Indicator ◽  
Class A ◽  
Helminth Eggs ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Thermophilic Digestion

In this work, two egg-shaped, 5L-volume, anaerobic sludge digesters were used, one under mesophilic conditions (35°C, M1), and the other under thermophilic conditions (55°C, T1). Both digesters were fed with the purged sludge from an anaerobic treatment plant (start-up period) and from an activated sludge plant (stabilization period), treating municipal wastewaters. The purpose of the study was to establish the technical feasibility of the anaerobic thermophilic sludge treatment comparatively, during the stages of start-up and stabilization of the process, for removing pathogenic microorganisms and parasites efficiently. The results show that, in both stages, the anaerobic thermophilic digester presents higher efficiency on the removal of pathogens and parasites, than the mesophilic digester. Anaerobic thermophilic digestion is close to complying with the EPA (1996) limits for “Class A” type biosolids, referring to the number of parasitic helminth eggs (0.25 HELarval/gTS), and to the pathogen indicator fecal coliforms (<1000 MPN/gTS). Therefore, the results show that thermophilic anaerobic digestion of biologic sludge may be considered as a suitable technology for the production of Class A biosolids, for further use in agriculture without restrictions.

Sanitizing in Dry-Processing Environments Using Isopropyl Alcohol Quaternary Ammonium Formula

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-116
Author(s):  
DEBORAH M. KANE ◽  
KELLY J. K. GETTY ◽  
BRIAN MAYER ◽  
ALEJANDRO MAZZOTTA
Keyword(s):  
Quaternary Ammonium ◽  
Isopropyl Alcohol ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽  
Food Contact ◽  
Laboratory Bench ◽  
Dry Processing ◽  
Food Contact Surfaces ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Materials Used

ABSTRACT Dry-processing environments are particularly challenging to clean and sanitize because introduced water can favor growth and establishment of pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella. Our objective was to determine the efficacy of an isopropyl alcohol quaternary ammonium (IPAQuat) formula for eliminating potential Salmonella contamination on food contact surfaces. Clean stainless steel coupons and conveyor belt materials used in dry-processing environments were spot inoculated in the center of coupons (5 by 5 cm) with a six-serotype composite of Salmonella (approximately 10 log CFU/ml), subjected to IPAQuat sanitizer treatments with exposure times of 30 s, 1 min, or 5 min, and then swabbed for enumeration of posttreatment survivors. A subset of inoculated surfaces was soiled with a breadcrumb-flour blend and allowed to sit on the laboratory bench for a minimum of 16 h before sanitation. Pretreatment Salmonella populations (inoculated controls, 0 s treatment) were approximately 7.0 log CFU/25 cm2, and posttreatment survivors were 1.31, 0.72, and <0.7 (detection limit) log CFU/25 cm2 after sanitizer exposure for 30 s, 1 min, or 5 min, respectively, for both clean (no added soil) and soiled surfaces. Treatment with the IPAQuat formula using 30-s sanitizer exposures resulted in 5.68-log reductions, whereas >6.0-log reductions were observed for sanitizer exposures of 1 and 5 min. Because water is not introduced into the processing environment with this approach, the IPAQuat formula could have sanitation applications in dry-processing environments to eliminate potential contamination from Salmonella on food contact surfaces.

Campylobacter in waterborne epidemics in Finland

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-L. Hänninen ◽  
R. Kärenlampi
Keyword(s):  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Faecal Contamination ◽  
E Coli ◽  
July August September

The sources for drinking water in Finland are surface water, groundwater or artificially recharged groundwater. There are approximately 1400 groundwater plants in Finland that are microbiologically at a high risk level because in most cases they do not use any disinfection treatment. Campylobacter jejuni has caused waterborne epidemics in several countries. Since the middle of the 1980s, C. jejuni has been identified as the causative agent in several waterborne outbreaks in Finland. Between 1998 and 2001, C. jejuni or C. upsaliensis caused seven reported waterborne epidemics. In these epidemics approximately 4000 people acquired the illness. Most of the outbreaks occurred in July, August , September or October. In four of them source water and net water samples were analysed for total coliforms or fecal coliforms, E. coli and campylobacters. We showed that large volumes of water samples in studies of indicator organisms (up to 5000 ml) and campylobacters (4000–20,000 ml) increased the possibility to identify faecal contamination and to detect the causative agent from suspected sources.

Water Quality of Swimming Pools in Jerusalem

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lerman ◽  
O. Lev ◽  
A. Adin ◽  
E. Katzenelson
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽  
Swimming Pools ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Indicator Microorganisms ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Safe Water ◽  
Indirect Information

The Israel Ministry of Health is now revising its regulations for the assurance of safe water quality in public swimming pools. Since it is not possible to monitor each of the pathogenic microorganisms, it is often recommended to monitor indicator bacteria which provide indirect information on the water quality in the swimming pool. Three indicator microorganisms are often recommended: coliform counts (total coliforms, fecal coliforms or E. Coli), staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa. A four year survey of the water quality of swimming pools in the Jerusalem District was conducted in order to determine whether the monitoring of all three indicators is necessary to assure safe water quality or is it sufficient to monitor only a single microorganism. A statistical analysis, conducted by using several different statistical techniques, reveals that the populations of the three indicator organisms are significantly interdependent but the correlations between each pair of these indicators are not sufficient to base a prediction of any of the organisms based on the measurements of the others. Therefore, it is concluded that monitoring of all three indicators should be recommended in order to provide an adequate picture of the water quality in swimming pools.

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