Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia

Given the remarkable increase of public interest in organic food products, it is indeed critical to evaluate the microbiological risk associated with consumption of fresh organic produce. Organic farming practices including the use of animal manures may increase the risk of microbiological contamina...

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Published in:	Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 8; p. 1433
Main Authors:	Kuan, Chee-Hao, Rukayadi, Yaya, Ahmad, Siti H, Wan Mohamed Radzi, Che W J, Thung, Tze-Young, Premarathne, Jayasekara M K J K, Chang, Wei-San, Loo, Yuet-Ying, Tan, Chia-Wanq, Ramzi, Othman B, Mohd Fadzil, Siti N, Kuan, Chee-Sian, Yeo, Siok-Koon, Nishibuchi, Mitsuaki, Radu, Son
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 31-07-2017
Subjects:	Escherichia coli O157:H7 fresh produce Listeria monocytogenes Microbiology organic farming salmonella Listeria monocytogenes salmonella organic farming Escherichia coli O157:H7 fresh produce
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Summary:	Given the remarkable increase of public interest in organic food products, it is indeed critical to evaluate the microbiological risk associated with consumption of fresh organic produce. Organic farming practices including the use of animal manures may increase the risk of microbiological contamination as manure can act as a vehicle for transmission of foodborne pathogens. This study aimed to determine and compare the microbiological status between organic and conventional fresh produce at the retail level in Malaysia. A total of 152 organic and conventional vegetables were purchased at retail markets in Malaysia. Samples were analyzed for mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms using conventional microbiological methods. Combination methods of most probable number-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPN-mPCR) were used to detect and quantify foodborne pathogens, including O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing (STEC), Typhimurium, and Enteritidis. Results indicated that most types of organic and conventional vegetables possessed similar microbial count ( > 0.05) of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms. O157:H7 and . Typhimurium were not detected in any sample analyzed in this study. Among the 152 samples tested, only the conventional lettuce and organic carrot were tested positive for STEC and . Enteritidis, respectively. were more frequently detected in both organic (9.1%) and conventional vegetables (2.7%) as compared to O157:H7, . Typhimurium, and . Enteritidis. Overall, no trend was shown that either organically or conventionally grown vegetables have posed greater microbiological risks. These findings indicated that one particular type of farming practices would not affect the microbiological profiles of fresh produce. Therefore, regardless of farming methods, all vegetables should be subjected to appropriate post-harvest handling practices from farm to fork to ensure the quality and safety of the fresh produce.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 This article was submitted to Food Microbiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology Reviewed by: Bernadette Dora Gombossy de Melo Franco, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Alejandro Castillo, Texas A&M University, United States Edited by: Giovanna Suzzi, University of Teramo, Italy
ISSN:	1664-302X 1664-302X
DOI:	10.3389/fmicb.2017.01433