Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines
This study is the first in the Philippines to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and somatic phages in retailed fresh produce used in salad preparation, namely, bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, and tomato, using culture and molecular methods. Out of 300...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/219534 |
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| author | Pierangeli G. Vital Kris Genelyn B. Dimasuay Kenneth W. Widmer Windell L. Rivera |
| author_facet | Pierangeli G. Vital Kris Genelyn B. Dimasuay Kenneth W. Widmer Windell L. Rivera |
| author_sort | Pierangeli G. Vital |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study is the first in the Philippines to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and somatic phages in retailed fresh produce used in salad preparation, namely, bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, and tomato, using culture and molecular methods. Out of 300 samples from open air and supermarkets, 16.7% tested positive for thermotolerant Escherichia coli, 24.7% for Salmonella spp., and 47% for somatic phages. Results show that counts range from 0.30 to 4.03 log10 CFU/g for E. coli, 0.66 to ≥2.34 log10 MPN/g for Salmonella spp., and 1.30 to ≥3.00 log10 PFU/g for somatic phages. Statistical analyses show that there was no significant difference in the microbial counts between open air and supermarkets (α=0.05). TaqMan and AccuPower Plus DualStar real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to confirm the presence of these organisms. The relatively high prevalence of microorganisms observed in produce surveyed signifies reduction in shelf-life and a potential hazard to food safety. This information may benefit farmers, consumers, merchants, and policy makers for foodborne disease detection and prevention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00c5e7be0477495aaaa9dd58d43d8b8b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2356-6140 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-00c5e7be0477495aaaa9dd58d43d8b8b2025-08-20T02:03:13ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/219534219534Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the PhilippinesPierangeli G. Vital0Kris Genelyn B. Dimasuay1Kenneth W. Widmer2Windell L. Rivera3Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, PhilippinesInstitute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, PhilippinesInternational Environmental Analysis and Education Center, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 261 Cheomdan-Gwagiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-712, Republic of KoreaInstitute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, PhilippinesThis study is the first in the Philippines to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and somatic phages in retailed fresh produce used in salad preparation, namely, bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, and tomato, using culture and molecular methods. Out of 300 samples from open air and supermarkets, 16.7% tested positive for thermotolerant Escherichia coli, 24.7% for Salmonella spp., and 47% for somatic phages. Results show that counts range from 0.30 to 4.03 log10 CFU/g for E. coli, 0.66 to ≥2.34 log10 MPN/g for Salmonella spp., and 1.30 to ≥3.00 log10 PFU/g for somatic phages. Statistical analyses show that there was no significant difference in the microbial counts between open air and supermarkets (α=0.05). TaqMan and AccuPower Plus DualStar real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to confirm the presence of these organisms. The relatively high prevalence of microorganisms observed in produce surveyed signifies reduction in shelf-life and a potential hazard to food safety. This information may benefit farmers, consumers, merchants, and policy makers for foodborne disease detection and prevention.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/219534 |
| spellingShingle | Pierangeli G. Vital Kris Genelyn B. Dimasuay Kenneth W. Widmer Windell L. Rivera Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines |
| title_full | Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines |
| title_fullStr | Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines |
| title_short | Microbiological Quality of Fresh Produce from Open Air Markets and Supermarkets in the Philippines |
| title_sort | microbiological quality of fresh produce from open air markets and supermarkets in the philippines |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/219534 |
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