Publication details
Sledování mikrobiálních rizik spojených s konzumací zeleniny a bylin z farem a tržní sítě
| Title in English | Monitoring the microbial risks associated with consumption of vegetables and herbs from farms and from market |
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Microbial contamination of plant products occurs at different stages of production, from growth in fields to their preparation by the consumer. The risks of microbial contamination include contact with contaminated water, people, soil, manure, faeces or animals. Still, the high numbers of reported infections associated with food consumption lead to the introduction of rapid detection systems such as real-time PCR (qPCR). A partial objective of this study was to evaluate microbial contamination with the newly introduced molecular methods of whole raw vegetables (carrots, cucumber, lettuce) and herbs from farms and the markets in the Czech Republic. The study focused on the detection and quantification of Listeria monocytogenes, Cronobacter spp. and E. coli was monitored as an indicator of faecal contamination. At the same time, the level of environmental contamination (scrub and water) was monitored on farms. In total, 623 samples of vegetables and herbs and 157 environmental samples were examined. For 5 samples of vegetables and herbs (0.8%), L. monocytogenes were detected using qPCR (0.6% culture). 78 samples (12.5%) were positive for Cronobacter spp. using qPCR (9.3% culture). E. coli was detected in 276 samples (44.3%) using qPCR (20.5% culture). The amount of L. monocytogenes in vegetable and herb samples ranged from 6 x 100 to 101 genomic equivalents per gram of processed sample, from 4 x 100 to 1 x 103 for Cronobacter spp. and from 100 to 6 x 104 genomic equivalents per gram of processed sample for E. coli. None of the samples exceeded the limit of 100 CFU / g for L. monocytogenes. The limit 100 CFU / g of sample has been exceeded for E. coli in four samples. No L. monocytogenes was detected in any of the environmental samples. Cronobacter spp. was detected in two samples (1.3%), but only with qPCR. Also, 73 samples (46.5%) were positive for E. coli using qPCR (8.3% culture). None of the water samples exceeded the limit of 100 CFU / ml for E. coli. |