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Bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level in Finland
Consumption of packaged fresh leafy vegetables, which are convenient ready-to-eat products, has increased during the last decade. The number of foodborne outbreaks associated with these products has concurrently increased. In our study, (1) label information, (2) O2/CO2 composition, (3) bacterial qu...
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| Published in: | International journal of food microbiology 2016-09, Vol.232, p.73-79 |
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| cites | cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c377t-4bd8e59dbe52a767450a57d711c7b9e2dbc3a61ed17626549be9af7aa818be673 |
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| container_start_page | 73 |
| container_title | International journal of food microbiology |
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| creator | Nousiainen, L.-L. Joutsen, S. Lunden, J. Hänninen, M.-L. Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M. |
| description | Consumption of packaged fresh leafy vegetables, which are convenient ready-to-eat products, has increased during the last decade. The number of foodborne outbreaks associated with these products has concurrently increased. In our study, (1) label information, (2) O2/CO2 composition, (3) bacterial quality and (4) safety of 100 fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level were studied in Finland during 2013. Bacterial quality was studied using aerobic bacteria (AB) and coliform bacteria (CB) counts, and searching for the presence of Escherichia coli, Listeria and Yersinia. The safety was studied by the presence of Salmonella, ail-positive Yersinia, stx-positive E. coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes using PCR and culturing. Important label information was unavailable on several packages originating from different companies. The packaging date was missing on all packages and the date of durability on 83% of the packages. Storage temperature was declared on 62% of the packages and 73% of the packages contained information about prewashing. The batch/lot number was missing on 29% of the packages. Very low oxygen (O2) ( |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2016.05.020 |
| format | article |
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•Important label information was missing on packaged leafy vegetables.•O2 and CO2 concentrations in the packages varied widely.•Aerobic and coliform bacteria counts were high.•Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Listeria were isolated from several products.•Ready-to-eat products not needing washing before use were contaminated with pathogens.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0168-1605</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1879-3460</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2016.05.020</identifier><identifier>PMID: 27257744</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Netherlands: Elsevier B.V</publisher><subject>Bacteria ; Carbon Dioxide ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Consumer Product Safety ; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification ; Finland ; Food Labeling ; Food Microbiology ; Food Quality ; Food Safety ; Foodborne Diseases - microbiology ; Foodborne Diseases - prevention & control ; Labelling ; Leafy vegetables ; Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification ; Oxygen ; Packaging ; Plant Leaves - microbiology ; Quality ; Safety ; Salmonella - isolation & purification ; Vegetables - microbiology ; Yersinia - isolation & purification</subject><ispartof>International journal of food microbiology, 2016-09, Vol.232, p.73-79</ispartof><rights>2016 Elsevier B.V.</rights><rights>Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c377t-4bd8e59dbe52a767450a57d711c7b9e2dbc3a61ed17626549be9af7aa818be673</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c377t-4bd8e59dbe52a767450a57d711c7b9e2dbc3a61ed17626549be9af7aa818be673</cites></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,27923,27924</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27257744$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><creatorcontrib>Nousiainen, L.-L.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Joutsen, S.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lunden, J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hänninen, M.-L.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M.</creatorcontrib><title>Bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level in Finland</title><title>International journal of food microbiology</title><addtitle>Int J Food Microbiol</addtitle><description>Consumption of packaged fresh leafy vegetables, which are convenient ready-to-eat products, has increased during the last decade. The number of foodborne outbreaks associated with these products has concurrently increased. In our study, (1) label information, (2) O2/CO2 composition, (3) bacterial quality and (4) safety of 100 fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level were studied in Finland during 2013. Bacterial quality was studied using aerobic bacteria (AB) and coliform bacteria (CB) counts, and searching for the presence of Escherichia coli, Listeria and Yersinia. The safety was studied by the presence of Salmonella, ail-positive Yersinia, stx-positive E. coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes using PCR and culturing. Important label information was unavailable on several packages originating from different companies. The packaging date was missing on all packages and the date of durability on 83% of the packages. Storage temperature was declared on 62% of the packages and 73% of the packages contained information about prewashing. The batch/lot number was missing on 29% of the packages. Very low oxygen (O2) (<1%) and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) (2–22%) concentrations were measured in all packages labelled to contain a protective atmosphere. O2 and CO2 concentrations varied widely in the rest of the packages. AB and CB counts were high in the leafy vegetable samples varying between 6.2 and 10.6 and 4.2–8.3logcfu/g, respectively. In most of the samples, the AB and CB counts exceeded 108 and 106cfu/g, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between the AB and CB counts. E. coli was isolated from 15% of the samples and Yersinia from 33%. L. monocytogenes was isolated from two samples and ail-positive Y. enterocolitica in one. Using PCR, STEC was detected in seven samples, and Salmonella and ail-positive Y. enterocolitica in two samples each. The AB and CB mean values of products originating from different companies varied widely. High AB and CB counts and pathogenic bacteria were detected in ready-to-eat products not needing washing before use. Our study shows that the bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables is poor and label information on the packages is inadequate. More studies are needed concerning the impact of a protective atmosphere on bacterial growth, and the impact of washing for removing bacteria.
•Important label information was missing on packaged leafy vegetables.•O2 and CO2 concentrations in the packages varied widely.•Aerobic and coliform bacteria counts were high.•Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Listeria were isolated from several products.•Ready-to-eat products not needing washing before use were contaminated with pathogens.</description><subject>Bacteria</subject><subject>Carbon Dioxide</subject><subject>Colony Count, Microbial</subject><subject>Consumer Product Safety</subject><subject>Escherichia coli - isolation & purification</subject><subject>Finland</subject><subject>Food Labeling</subject><subject>Food Microbiology</subject><subject>Food Quality</subject><subject>Food Safety</subject><subject>Foodborne Diseases - microbiology</subject><subject>Foodborne Diseases - prevention & control</subject><subject>Labelling</subject><subject>Leafy vegetables</subject><subject>Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification</subject><subject>Oxygen</subject><subject>Packaging</subject><subject>Plant Leaves - microbiology</subject><subject>Quality</subject><subject>Safety</subject><subject>Salmonella - isolation & purification</subject><subject>Vegetables - microbiology</subject><subject>Yersinia - isolation & purification</subject><issn>0168-1605</issn><issn>1879-3460</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2016</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNqNkLtOwzAUhi0EoqXwCshsLAl2EtvJCBUFJCQWWLFO7BNwcZvWTiv17TEqIEamc_vP7SPkgrOcMy6v5rmbd31vF86EPi9SKmciZwU7IGNeqyYrK8kOyTgV6oxLJkbkJMY5Y0yUJTsmo0IVQqmqGpPXGzADBgeerjfg3bCjsLQ0QofJ7Tu6AvMBb2hpFzC-U4_Q7egW33CA1mOkMNDhHWlIsfOpvEVP3ZLO3NKnQafkqAMf8ezbTsjL7PZ5ep89Pt09TK8fM1MqNWRVa2sUjW1RFKCkqgQDoazi3Ki2wcK2pgTJ0XIlCymqpsUGOgVQ87pFqcoJudzPXYV-vcE46IWLBn26AftN1LxmRaVko6okbfbSxC7GgJ1eBbeAsNOc6S-8eq7_4NVfeDUTOuFNveffazbtAu1v5w_PJJjuBZie3ToMOhqHS4PWBTSDtr37x5pPkK2Sqw</recordid><startdate>20160902</startdate><enddate>20160902</enddate><creator>Nousiainen, L.-L.</creator><creator>Joutsen, S.</creator><creator>Lunden, J.</creator><creator>Hänninen, M.-L.</creator><creator>Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M.</creator><general>Elsevier B.V</general><scope>CGR</scope><scope>CUY</scope><scope>CVF</scope><scope>ECM</scope><scope>EIF</scope><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>7X8</scope></search><sort><creationdate>20160902</creationdate><title>Bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level in Finland</title><author>Nousiainen, L.-L. ; Joutsen, S. ; Lunden, J. ; Hänninen, M.-L. ; Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M.</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c377t-4bd8e59dbe52a767450a57d711c7b9e2dbc3a61ed17626549be9af7aa818be673</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2016</creationdate><topic>Bacteria</topic><topic>Carbon Dioxide</topic><topic>Colony Count, Microbial</topic><topic>Consumer Product Safety</topic><topic>Escherichia coli - isolation & purification</topic><topic>Finland</topic><topic>Food Labeling</topic><topic>Food Microbiology</topic><topic>Food Quality</topic><topic>Food Safety</topic><topic>Foodborne Diseases - microbiology</topic><topic>Foodborne Diseases - prevention & control</topic><topic>Labelling</topic><topic>Leafy vegetables</topic><topic>Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification</topic><topic>Oxygen</topic><topic>Packaging</topic><topic>Plant Leaves - microbiology</topic><topic>Quality</topic><topic>Safety</topic><topic>Salmonella - isolation & purification</topic><topic>Vegetables - microbiology</topic><topic>Yersinia - isolation & purification</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Nousiainen, L.-L.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Joutsen, S.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lunden, J.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hänninen, M.-L.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M.</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><jtitle>International journal of food microbiology</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Nousiainen, L.-L.</au><au>Joutsen, S.</au><au>Lunden, J.</au><au>Hänninen, M.-L.</au><au>Fredriksson-Ahomaa, M.</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level in Finland</atitle><jtitle>International journal of food microbiology</jtitle><addtitle>Int J Food Microbiol</addtitle><date>2016-09-02</date><risdate>2016</risdate><volume>232</volume><spage>73</spage><epage>79</epage><pages>73-79</pages><issn>0168-1605</issn><eissn>1879-3460</eissn><abstract>Consumption of packaged fresh leafy vegetables, which are convenient ready-to-eat products, has increased during the last decade. The number of foodborne outbreaks associated with these products has concurrently increased. In our study, (1) label information, (2) O2/CO2 composition, (3) bacterial quality and (4) safety of 100 fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level were studied in Finland during 2013. Bacterial quality was studied using aerobic bacteria (AB) and coliform bacteria (CB) counts, and searching for the presence of Escherichia coli, Listeria and Yersinia. The safety was studied by the presence of Salmonella, ail-positive Yersinia, stx-positive E. coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes using PCR and culturing. Important label information was unavailable on several packages originating from different companies. The packaging date was missing on all packages and the date of durability on 83% of the packages. Storage temperature was declared on 62% of the packages and 73% of the packages contained information about prewashing. The batch/lot number was missing on 29% of the packages. Very low oxygen (O2) (<1%) and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) (2–22%) concentrations were measured in all packages labelled to contain a protective atmosphere. O2 and CO2 concentrations varied widely in the rest of the packages. AB and CB counts were high in the leafy vegetable samples varying between 6.2 and 10.6 and 4.2–8.3logcfu/g, respectively. In most of the samples, the AB and CB counts exceeded 108 and 106cfu/g, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between the AB and CB counts. E. coli was isolated from 15% of the samples and Yersinia from 33%. L. monocytogenes was isolated from two samples and ail-positive Y. enterocolitica in one. Using PCR, STEC was detected in seven samples, and Salmonella and ail-positive Y. enterocolitica in two samples each. The AB and CB mean values of products originating from different companies varied widely. High AB and CB counts and pathogenic bacteria were detected in ready-to-eat products not needing washing before use. Our study shows that the bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables is poor and label information on the packages is inadequate. More studies are needed concerning the impact of a protective atmosphere on bacterial growth, and the impact of washing for removing bacteria.
•Important label information was missing on packaged leafy vegetables.•O2 and CO2 concentrations in the packages varied widely.•Aerobic and coliform bacteria counts were high.•Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Listeria were isolated from several products.•Ready-to-eat products not needing washing before use were contaminated with pathogens.</abstract><cop>Netherlands</cop><pub>Elsevier B.V</pub><pmid>27257744</pmid><doi>10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2016.05.020</doi><tpages>7</tpages></addata></record> |
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| ispartof | International journal of food microbiology, 2016-09, Vol.232, p.73-79 |
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| source | Elsevier |
| subjects | Bacteria Carbon Dioxide Colony Count, Microbial Consumer Product Safety Escherichia coli - isolation & purification Finland Food Labeling Food Microbiology Food Quality Food Safety Foodborne Diseases - microbiology Foodborne Diseases - prevention & control Labelling Leafy vegetables Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification Oxygen Packaging Plant Leaves - microbiology Quality Safety Salmonella - isolation & purification Vegetables - microbiology Yersinia - isolation & purification |
| title | Bacterial quality and safety of packaged fresh leafy vegetables at the retail level in Finland |
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