Comparison of a Four-Section Spindle and Stomacher for Efficacy of Detaching Microorganisms from Fresh Vegetables

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1380-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
DO-KYUN KIM ◽  
SOO-JI KIM ◽  
DONG-HYUN KANG

This study was undertaken to compare the effect of the spindle and stomacher for detaching microorganisms from fresh vegetables. The spindle is an apparatus for detaching microorganisms from food surfaces, which was developed in our laboratory. When processed with the spindle, food samples were barely disrupted, the original shape was maintained, and the diluent was clear, facilitating further detection analysis more easily than with stomacher treatment. The four-section spindle consists of four sample bag containers (A, B, C, and D) to economize time and effort by simultaneously processing four samples. The aerobic plate counts (APC) of 50 fresh vegetable samples were measured following spindle and stomacher treatment. Correlations between the two methods for each section of the spindle and stomacher were very high (R2 = 0.9828 [spindle compartment A; Sp A], 0.9855 [Sp B], 0.9848 [Sp C], and 0.9851 [Sp D]). One-tenth milliliter of foodborne pathogens suspensions was inoculated onto surfaces of food samples, and ratios of spindle-to-stomacher enumerations were close to 1.00 log CFU/g between every section of the spindle and stomacher. One of the greatest features of the spindle is that it can treat large-sized samples that exceed 200 g. Uncut whole apples, green peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes were processed by the spindle and by hand massaging by 2 min. Large-sized samples were also assayed for aerobic plate count and recovery of the three foodborne pathogens, and the difference between each section of the spindle and hand massaging was not significant (P > 0.05). This study demonstrated that the spindle apparatus can be an alternative device for detaching microorganisms from all fresh vegetable samples for microbiological analysis by the food processing industry.

1978 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 692-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN T. FRUIN ◽  
JAMES F. FOSTER ◽  
JAMES L. FOWLER

Bologna products most frequently are stored and consumed as refrigerated products. Thus bacteria that survive processing or those that contaminate the product subsequent to processing are not destroyed. Ten types of presliced, vacuum-packaged bologna products were purchased from a high-volume retail market and analyzed for total aerobic plate count (APC) and common foodborne pathogens. No Salmonella were isolated. Less than 1% of the 419 samples analyzed contained either Clostridium perfringens or Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 4% of the samples, but only one sample contained more than 1000/g. Just over 5% of the samples contained coliform organisms. The manufacturer appeared to play an important role in bacterial quality of the finished items. An APC < 5 × 106/g is a realistic criterion for bologna products at the time of delivery to retail markets.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsegaye Shamebo Arficho ◽  
Asefa Hamato Kebede

Abstract Background: Foodborne illnesses are considered as one of the most important public health problems particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat foods in Yirgalem town, southern Ethiopia from November 2016 to August 2017. Methods: The collection of ready-to-eat food samples and laboratory-based microbiological analysis was used as the study design. A total of 160 food samples comprising of 40 ‘Injera firfir’, 40‘Bayeaynet’, 40 Vegetables and 40 Spaghetti were collected and analyzed for microbial contamination following standard microbiological methods. Ten grams of each food sample was transferred into 90 ml of buffered peptone water and homogenized for 5 minutes using a vortex mixer. The homogenates were serial diluted up to 10-7 and a volume of 0.1ml aliquot was spread plated on pre-solidified media of Aerobic plate count agar, MacConkey agar, Mannitol salt agar, and Salmonella-Shigella agar and incubate at 35-37oc for 24 hrs. Also, Potato Dextrose Agar was used for the isolation of fungi. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: All the collected food samples were subjected to total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Coliform bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcal, Yeasts, and Molds counts. Accordingly, the mean counts expressed as log10 CFU/g of food for each group of the organism were 7.90 ± 0.71, 4.31±1.30, 4.32 ± 1.30, 6.70 ± 0.34 and 4.5 ± 1.01, respectively. The highest bacterial load 162(28.9%) was detected in ‘Injera firfir’ whereas the lowest 108(19.2%) case was investigated in Spaghettis. Regarding the food safety issue, the frequency of S. aureus, E. coli and Salmonella spp in the food samples were 54.4%, 43.8%, and 0.6%, respectively. Conclusion: The high microbial load and existence of foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat foods in Yirgalem town, Southern Ethiopia is calling for the creation of awareness among restaurant and food establishment owners and food handlers concerning the hygienic practice. Keyword: Microbial quality, Yirgalem town, Southern Ethiopia


1980 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 385-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. JANE WYATT ◽  
V. GUY

A sanitation profile scoring form for evaluating sanitation in retail food stores was designed. The profile was tested in 10 Oregon retail markets to evaluate its ability to reflect sanitary conditions. At the time of inspection, samples of meat processed in-store were purchased for microbiological analysis to explore the feasibility of bacterial quality as a measurement of sanitary conditions. Microbiological tests performed included total aerobic plate count (A PC), coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Salmonella. Certain deficiencies were noted in the profile designed; however, it provides a means for objective, uniform measurement of sanitary conditions. Data show no correlation exists between microbiological quality of products processed in the store and total store profile sanitary conditions. Fifty percent of the products sampled exceeded bacterial load guidelines currently enforced in Oregon. These “high” counts appear to be directly related to poor temperature control.


1986 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
PHYLLIS ENTIS ◽  
PETER BOLESZCZUK

A hydrophobic grid membrane filter (HGMF) method for aerobic plate count using Tryptic Soy Agar with fast green FCF was evaluated against a conventional pour plate method on 250 food samples, representing 25 product categories. The HGMF method yielded counts equivalent to or significantly higher than the pour plate method for 24 of the 25 product categories (t-test for paired data).


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (NO.1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziane Mohammed ◽  
Berroukeche Farid ◽  
Braïek Olfa Ben ◽  
Lachlache Nesrine ◽  
Khoualef Touraya

Fresh vegetables are frequently used to prepare fresh salad dishes widely consumed in the world. They are known to be the main source of pathogenic intestinal parasites. In this context, the present work aimed to (a) detect the pathogenic intestinal parasites (PIP) in washed fresh vegetables, and (b) assess the exposure to PIP in the city of Ain Témouchent (Algeria). In fact, 26 samples belonging to six groups of fresh vegetables (cabbages, lettuces, leeks, radishes, peppers and tomatoes) were collected, washed (similarly to domestic wash with or without vinegar addition), then examined for PIP contamination. The results indicated that 90% of the examined vegetable samples were contaminated with intestinal parasites showing higher prevalence in lettuce (70.85%) while the lowest contamination (23.52%) was reported in pepper. In addition, Cryptosperidium (72%) has been found to be the most dominant parasite in all vegetables while Toxocara (8%) was less present. These finding are a preliminary report to conduct a risk assessment of PIP linked to vegetable feeding


2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-230
Author(s):  
Harsojo Harsojo ◽  
June Mellawati

The determination of mineral content and bacteria contaminant on fresh vegetable of long bean (Vegan ungulate Wall.), white cabbage (Basic tolerance L.), and lettuce (Lectuca sativa L.) that cultivated by organic and nonorganic system have been done. The mineral content has been analyzed using neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy method, while bacteria contaminant by total plate count number using Nutrient Agar, Mac Conkey Agar, Baird Parker medium, and Salmonella using selective medium. The results showed that there are some essential mineral such as Fe, Zn, Ca, Co, and nonessential mineral Cd. There is tendency that fresh vegetable that cultivated by organic system contained Fe, Zn, Ca, Co and Cd mineral less than nonorganic. The Zn mineral content in nonorganic of fresh vegetable were higher than the limit of threshold number from Health Department, Republic of Indonesia (2004), while Cd mineral in organic or nonorganic of fresh vegetable were greater then threshold number from Codex Alimentarius Commision. The measurement of bacteria contaminant on organic and nonorganic of fresh vegetables contained aerob, coli, and Staphylococcus bacteria in organic of fresh vegetables were less compared to nonorganic of fresh vegetables.   Keywords: mineral, bacteria aerob, coli, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, organic, and nonorganic vegetable, neutron activation


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Theofel ◽  
Thomas R. Williams ◽  
Eduardo Gutierrez ◽  
Gordon R. Davidson ◽  
Michele Jay-Russell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Over a 2-year period, drag swabs of orchard soil surface and air, soil, and almond leaf samples were collected in an almond orchard adjacent to (35 m from the first row of trees) and downwind from a poultry operation and in two almond orchards (controls) that were surrounded by other orchards. Samples were evaluated for aerobic plate count, generic Escherichia coli, other coliforms, the presence of Salmonella, bacterial community structure (analyzed through sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene), and amounts of dry solids (dust) on leaf surfaces on trees 0, 60, and 120 m into each orchard. E. coli was isolated from 41 of 206 (20%) and 1 of 207 (0.48%) air samples in the almond-poultry and control orchards, respectively. Salmonella was not isolated from any of the 529 samples evaluated. On average, the amount of dry solids on leaves collected from trees closest to the poultry operation was more than 2-fold greater than from trees 120 m into the orchard or from any of the trees in the control orchards. Members of the family Staphylococcaceae—often associated with poultry—were, on average, significantly (P < 0.001) more abundant in the phyllosphere of trees closest to the poultry operation (10% of relative abundance) than in trees 120 m into the orchard (1.7% relative abundance) or from any of the trees in control orchards (0.41% relative abundance). Poultry-associated microorganisms from a commercial operation transferred a short distance into an adjacent downwind almond orchard. IMPORTANCE The movement of microorganisms, including foodborne pathogens, from animal operations into adjacent plant crop-growing environments is not well characterized. This study provides evidence that dust and bioaerosols moved from a commercial poultry operation a short distance downwind into an almond orchard and altered the microbiome recovered from the leaves. These data provide growers with information they can use to assess food safety risks on their property.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-247
Author(s):  
Jayaprahash C. ◽  
Lakshmana JH. ◽  
Joseph Kingston J.

The complexity of food materials owing to the diverse matrices and biochemical composition poses challenge to microbiologists especially to identify the microbial contamination at low level. The present study describes the development and evaluation of a ready to use self-contained food sample homogenization bag (All-In-Bag) with the required sterile diluent and an in-built filter for subsequent clarification of the homogenate for microbiological analysis. Three-ply non-foil laminate comprising outer alumina oxide coated polyester film, middle nylon and inner polypropylene layers were used for the outer layers while non-woven polypropylene sheet with of 50 μ to 100 μ size porosity was sandwiched between the laminated sheets to restrain the food debris but allow the microbial cells to pass through across along with the diluent. The homogenization bag along with the diluent was sterilized by thermal (retort) processing with F0 value (lethality value) of 12 to ensure the sterility of diluent during storage. The effectiveness of the All-in-Bag for the homogenisation of different food sample matrices for microbiological analysis was compared with BagPage®+ bag. All-in-Bag withstood the shearing action during sample paddling in the bag mixer/stomacher and no significant difference was observed for both aerobic plate count. Spike and recovery of E. coli from the different food matrices indicating absence of interference for microbial recovery in newly developed All-in-Bag. The All-in-Bag, the first of its kind with 12 months shelf life does away with the requirement of sterile diluent preparation and additional steps for the clarification of the homogenate and thus making microbial food quality analysis easier in places with limited resources.


1985 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 811-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. AYAZ ◽  
F. A. OTHMAN ◽  
T. O. BAHARETH ◽  
A. M. AL-SOGAIR ◽  
W. N. SAWAYA

A total of 108 shawarma (cooked meat) samples were aseptically collected from various fast-food restaurants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These samples were examined by standard procedures for determination of aerobic plate count (APC), and counts of coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and the detection of salmonellae. The APC ranged from 102 to 3.0 × 108 CFU/g. The counts for coliforms, S. aureus and C. perfringens ranged from &lt;10 to 106, &lt;10 to 105 and &lt;10 to 106 CFU/g, respectively. Twelve percent of the shawarma samples was positive for Salmonella. The results of this investigation indicate that foodborne pathogens present in shawarmas constitute a potential public health hazard.


2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. McEVOY ◽  
C. W. NDE ◽  
J. S. SHERWOOD ◽  
C. M. LOGUE

The efficacy of rinse, excision, and swab methods for the microbiological analysis of prechill turkey carcasses was investigated. Aerobic plate counts from a 50-cm2 area of the breast sampled by excision and by swabbing were compared. Escherichia coli and Salmonella recoveries were determined from turkeys sampled by a carcass rinse (CR), a modified rinse with the carcass supported in a swing (MCR), a two-site swab of 50 cm2 at the back and thigh (2S), a one-site swab of 50 cm2 beneath the wing (1S), a whole-carcass swab of the inner and outer carcass surface (WS), and excision of 25 g of neck skin tissue (NE). The effect of diluent volume (25, 50, and 100 ml) on E. coli counts from swab samples was also assessed. The aerobic plate count from breast tissue sampled by excision was greater than that by swabbing (P &lt; 0.05). E. coli recoveries by the MCR method were similar to those by CR. E. coli counts from 1S and WS samples were higher when swabs were stomached in 50 rather than 25 ml of diluent (P &lt; 0.05). For swabs stomached in 50 ml of diluent, E. coli recoveries by the MCR, 2S, 1S, and WS methods were similar. For swabs stomached in 50 ml of diluent, Salmonella recoveries by the WS and MCR methods were higher than those by the 2S and 1S methods. Excision was more effective than swabbing for obtaining total bacterial counts from reduced turkey carcass areas. Whole-carcass sampling by rinsing or swabbing is necessary for optimum Salmonella recovery. Sampling a reduced area of the carcass is sufficient for E. coli analysis.


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