TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbiological quality of raw berries and their products
T2 - a focus on foodborne pathogens
AU - Oliveira, Márcia
AU - Rodrigues, Cristina Martins
AU - Teixeira, Paula
N1 - Funding Information:
We would also like to thank the scientific collaboration under the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) project UID/Multi/50016/2019. Serotyping of Salmonella isolates was performed by Laboratório Nacional de Referência de Infeções Gastrointestinais, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal. Editing of this manuscript by Dr. P. A. Gibbs is gratefully acknowledged.
Funding Information:
This work was supported through the Project ‘SafetyFruit - Avaliação da termorresistência de microrganismos em preparados de fruta estáveis e seguros recorrendo a conservantes naturais’, nº POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017599, funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) , under the Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors
PY - 2019/12
Y1 - 2019/12
N2 - Berry samples (n = 316; strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) obtained from a fruit processing plant were examined regarding bacteriological quality and their potential public health risk. Three types of berry products were analysed including raw material, product from the mixing step and final product. Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, sulphite-reducing clostridia spores and coagulase-positive staphylococci were the parameters investigated. Salmonella enterica serovar Braenderup and L. monocytogenes were isolated from one fruit sample of raw material each. Two samples harboured E. coli between 0.7 and 0.9 log cfu g−1, not exceeding the hygienic criteria. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were not detected in the studied samples; however, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were isolated from a small proportion of samples mainly raspberries. Presumptive B. cereus were isolated from a relatively large proportion of the samples, raspberries and blackberries being the most contaminated fruits. The absence of pathogenic microorganisms in the final product as well as the low prevalence of presumptive B. cereus and CNS indicates proper implementation of good manufacturing and hygiene practices (GMPs/GHPs) by the food industry. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the raw material examined may contain pathogenic bacteria and thereby represent a risk to consumers regarding the manifestation of foodborne diseases.
AB - Berry samples (n = 316; strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) obtained from a fruit processing plant were examined regarding bacteriological quality and their potential public health risk. Three types of berry products were analysed including raw material, product from the mixing step and final product. Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, sulphite-reducing clostridia spores and coagulase-positive staphylococci were the parameters investigated. Salmonella enterica serovar Braenderup and L. monocytogenes were isolated from one fruit sample of raw material each. Two samples harboured E. coli between 0.7 and 0.9 log cfu g−1, not exceeding the hygienic criteria. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were not detected in the studied samples; however, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were isolated from a small proportion of samples mainly raspberries. Presumptive B. cereus were isolated from a relatively large proportion of the samples, raspberries and blackberries being the most contaminated fruits. The absence of pathogenic microorganisms in the final product as well as the low prevalence of presumptive B. cereus and CNS indicates proper implementation of good manufacturing and hygiene practices (GMPs/GHPs) by the food industry. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the raw material examined may contain pathogenic bacteria and thereby represent a risk to consumers regarding the manifestation of foodborne diseases.
KW - Berries
KW - Berry fruit industry
KW - Berry products
KW - Food microbiology
KW - Food processing
KW - Food quality
KW - Food technology
KW - Microbial ecology of foods
KW - Microbiological quality
KW - Microbiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076102635&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02992
DO - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02992
M3 - Article
C2 - 31867463
AN - SCOPUS:85076102635
SN - 2405-8440
VL - 5
JO - Heliyon
JF - Heliyon
IS - 12
M1 - e02992
ER -
