Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables
The consumption of minimally processed, or ready-to-eat (RTE), fruits and vegetables has been growing because people have shorter time to eat and due to the pursuit of convenience and health benefits. Minimal processing includes raw material selection and sorting, pre-washing, debarking, cutting, s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Bioscience Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://seer-dev.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/53734 |
| _version_ | 1828857905286217728 |
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| author | Lucas Samôr dos Santos Lucas Vasconcelos da Silva Bárbara Morandi Lepaus Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José |
| author_facet | Lucas Samôr dos Santos Lucas Vasconcelos da Silva Bárbara Morandi Lepaus Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José |
| author_sort | Lucas Samôr dos Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The consumption of minimally processed, or ready-to-eat (RTE), fruits and vegetables has been growing because people have shorter time to eat and due to the pursuit of convenience and health benefits. Minimal processing includes raw material selection and sorting, pre-washing, debarking, cutting, slicing, sanitizing, rinsing, centrifuging, and packing. Thus, natural protection barriers are affected during cutting methods and they release nutrients that enable microorganism growth. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the levels of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts, coliforms at 35°C, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp., as well as the labeling adequacy of minimally processed fruits and vegetables traded in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Fruits and vegetables presented aerobic mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts, and coliforms at 35°C, above the safe limit for consumption purposes. The count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria in RTE fruits ranged from 4.00 to 6.30 Log CFU/g. The highest count of this microorganism group was recorded for fruit salads. Salmonella sp. was not identified in fruit or vegetable samples, whereas Escherichia coli was detected in four vegetable samples. None of the evaluated labels (n = 40) followed the Brazilian legislation. Minimally processed fruits and vegetables had poor microbiological quality and labeling was also unsatisfactory. The adoption of good manufacturing practices and quality control tools as strategies to produce safe food can help minimizing risks to consumers’ health.
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| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:45:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1df082e5e0f8445ebb7dc9d89d3ab806 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1981-3163 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:45:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Federal de Uberlândia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioscience Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-1df082e5e0f8445ebb7dc9d89d3ab8062022-12-22T00:03:37ZengUniversidade Federal de UberlândiaBioscience Journal1981-31632021-10-0137Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetablesLucas Samôr dos Santos0Lucas Vasconcelos da Silva1Bárbara Morandi Lepaus2Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José3Universidade Federal do Espírito SantoUniversidade Federal do Espírito SantoUniversidade Federal do Espírito SantoUniversidade Federal do Espírito Santo The consumption of minimally processed, or ready-to-eat (RTE), fruits and vegetables has been growing because people have shorter time to eat and due to the pursuit of convenience and health benefits. Minimal processing includes raw material selection and sorting, pre-washing, debarking, cutting, slicing, sanitizing, rinsing, centrifuging, and packing. Thus, natural protection barriers are affected during cutting methods and they release nutrients that enable microorganism growth. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the levels of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts, coliforms at 35°C, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp., as well as the labeling adequacy of minimally processed fruits and vegetables traded in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Fruits and vegetables presented aerobic mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts, and coliforms at 35°C, above the safe limit for consumption purposes. The count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria in RTE fruits ranged from 4.00 to 6.30 Log CFU/g. The highest count of this microorganism group was recorded for fruit salads. Salmonella sp. was not identified in fruit or vegetable samples, whereas Escherichia coli was detected in four vegetable samples. None of the evaluated labels (n = 40) followed the Brazilian legislation. Minimally processed fruits and vegetables had poor microbiological quality and labeling was also unsatisfactory. The adoption of good manufacturing practices and quality control tools as strategies to produce safe food can help minimizing risks to consumers’ health. https://seer-dev.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/53734Escherichia coliFood SafetyHygieneQuality ControlSalmonella sp. |
| spellingShingle | Lucas Samôr dos Santos Lucas Vasconcelos da Silva Bárbara Morandi Lepaus Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables Bioscience Journal Escherichia coli Food Safety Hygiene Quality Control Salmonella sp. |
| title | Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| title_full | Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| title_fullStr | Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| title_short | Microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| title_sort | microbial quality and labeling of minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
| topic | Escherichia coli Food Safety Hygiene Quality Control Salmonella sp. |
| url | https://seer-dev.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/53734 |
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