Processing of leafy vegetables matters: Damage and microbial community structure from field to bag

Processing of leafy vegetables matters: Damage and microbial community structure from field to bag

Leafy vegetables undergo abiotic and biotic stresses, and a series of processing steps that cause mechanical injury. Breaching the epidermis alters phyllosphere structural and nutrient conditions, resulting in successional shifts in leaf microbiota and entry of human pathogens. This study examined d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food control Vol. 125; p. 107894
Main Authors: Mulaosmanovic, E., Lindblom, T.U.T., Windstam, S.T., Bengtsson, M., Rosberg, A.K., Mogren, L., Alsanius, B.W.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2021
Subjects:
Damage
Escherichia coli O157:H7
Food Science
Livsmedelsvetenskap
Microbiology
Microbiota
Mikrobiologi
Post-harvest
Spinach
Swiss chard
Post-harvest
Microbiota
Spinach
Damage
Escherichia coli O157:H7
Swiss chard
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Summary:Leafy vegetables undergo abiotic and biotic stresses, and a series of processing steps that cause mechanical injury. Breaching the epidermis alters phyllosphere structural and nutrient conditions, resulting in successional shifts in leaf microbiota and entry of human pathogens. This study examined damage during processing of baby leaves (Swiss chard, spinach) and concomitant microbial successional events. Machine-harvesting, washing, and packaging caused major phyllosphere perturbations, with increasing levels of leaf damage. Older leaves showed most damage, but plant species was influential. Diversity estimates of bacterial and fungal communities revealed shifts in microbiota post-harvest, particularly after the washing step. Relative abundance of Pseudomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae increased from field to bag. Bacterial species specific to different harvesting and processing steps replaced core microbiota species. While processing is unavoidable, procedures that mitigate leaf damage can enhance shelf-life and food safety. •Intact baby leaves are damaged during harvesting and processing.•Leaf damage during and after harvest is affected by crop species.•Small round lesions appear on leaf blade and edges.•Post-harvest processing modifies leaf microbial community structure.•Highly damaged leaves should be removed before packaging.
ISSN:0956-7135
1873-7129
1873-7129
DOI:10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.107894