Produce Contamination Problem: Causes and Solutions

This book is organized into five sections beginning with an introduction in which the problem is described in terms of the number and size of produce related outbreaks, the commodities involved, and the human pathogens involved. The introduction also documents the failure of conventional sanitizing treatments to assure microbiological safety examining the problems of microbial attachment.

The second section reviews methods of identifying a contamination source (epidemiology, trace back, strain identification, location of Source) and then focuses on the various sources of microbial contamination (water, manure, airborne dust, wildlife, human activity) and where in the crop production sequence they might result in contamination.


In the third section, some of the commodities associated with major outbreaks (leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cantaloupes, apples, berries, sprouts) are examined to determine what characteristics make them especially vulnerable to contamination.


The fourth section then addresses means of avoiding produce contamination through use of Good Agricultural Practices and recommendations in FDA and industry guidance documents. Regulatory actions (recalls, restrictions on imports) to safeguard the public from potentially hazardous products are described. Coverage includes policy and practices in the US, Mexico and Central America, Europe and Japan.


The fifth section examines current technologies for reducing human pathogens in fresh produce including disinfection, rapid methods for detecting contaminants, irradiation, gas-phase application and best practices acceptable to organic growers, packers and processors.





Readership
This book will be useful to growers, packers and fresh-cut processors and their trade associations and suppliers, especially those impacted by outbreaks of foodborne illness. Also a valuable source of information to researchers at universities and government agencies who are investigating means of avoiding contamination and improving the microbiological safety of fresh produce.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. Scope of the Produce Contamination Problem

Gerald Sapers and Michael Doyle


Chapter 2. Microbial Attachment and Limitations of Decontamination Methodologies

Ethan B. Solomon and Manan Sharma


Sources of Contamination


Chapter 3. Identification of the Source of Contamination

Jeff Farrar and Jack Guzewich


Chapter 4. Manure Management

Patricia D. Millner


Chapter 5. Water Quality

Charles P. Gerba and Christopher Y. Choi


Chapter 6. Sapro-Zoonotic Risks Posed by Wild Birds in Agricultural Landscapes

Larry Clark


Chapter 7. Produce Contamination by other Wildlife

Daniel Rice and Thomas E. Besser


Commodities Associated with Major Outbreaks and Recalls


Chapter 8. Leafy Vegetables

Karl R. Matthews


Chapter 9. Melons

Alejandro Castillo, Miguel A. Martínez-Téllez, and M. Ofelia Rodríguez-García


Chapter 10. Raw Tomatoes and Salmonella

Jerry A. Bartz


Chapter 11. Tree fruits and Nuts: Outbreaks, Contamination Sources, Prevention and Remediation

Susanne E. Keller


Chapter 12. Berry Contamination: Outbreaks and Contamination Issues

Kalmia E. Kniel and Adrienne E.H. Shearer


Avoidance of Contamination


Chapter 13. Produce contamination issues in Mexico and Central America

Jorge H. Siller-Cepeda, Cristobal Chaidez-Quiroz, and Nohelia Castro-del Campo


Chapter 14. Regulatory Issues in Europe Regarding Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Safety

Gro S. Johannessen and Kofitsyo S. Cudjoe


Chapter 15. Regulatory Issues in Japan Regarding Produce Safety

Kenji Isshiki, Md. Latiful Bari, Takeo Shiina, and.Shinichi Kawamoto


Technology for Reduction of Human Pathogens in Fresh Produce


Chapter 16. Disinfection of Contaminated Produce with Conventional Washing and Sanitizing Technology

Gerald M. Sapers


Chapter 17. Advanced Technologies for Detection and Elimination of Pathogens

Brendon Niemira and Howard Q. Zhang


Chapter 18. Conclusions and Recommendations

Douglas Powell, Casey J. Jacob, and Benjamin J. Chapman




Author Information
By Gerald Sapers, USDA - Retired; Ethan Solomon, DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise, Wilmington, DE, USA and Karl R. Matthews, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA