The purpose of the present study was to evaluate yellow mombin (Spondias mombin L.) juice as a vehicle for the Lactobacillus acidophilus NRRL B-4495 probiotic. The initial pH and fermentation temperature conditions were optimized by central composite rotational design. The beverage was evaluated for its chemical composition, bioactive properties, microbiological stability, survival in simulated gastrointestinal conditions and sensory analysis. The ideal conditions for probiotic juice production were an initial pH of 6.4 and 16 h of fermentation, with maximum viability of 12.9 ± 0.4 Log CFU/mL. The fermented juice showed a total phenolic concentration of 94.90 ± 7.12 GAE/mL and antioxidant activity, as measured by DPPH (0.31 ± 0.00 μmol TE/mL) and ABTS sequestration (2.59 ± 0.30 μmol TE/mL). Antibacterial activity could also be observed against S. aureus, E. coli and K. pneumoniae. The obtained formulation showed good microbiological stability when stored at 4ºC for 28 days. In addition, there was no significant change in viability after exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The sensory analysis showed that the probiotic beverage was not well accepted. However, the Just-About-Right (JAR) ideal scale test enabled identifying the specific attributes which need to be improved from the tasters' point of view so that it is possible to improve product acceptance.

Background Parasitic contamination of vegetables is a public health problem in several countries and a challenge for food safety. With a short path from the field to the table, these foods can suffer several flaws in the good practices of production, transport and packaging which culminate in an offer of contaminated food to consumers. Therefore, this study describes a systematic review protocol with meta-analysis on evaluating the effectiveness of existing sanitation methods in removing parasites from vegetables. Methods The study will be conducted from published studies that report analyzes of parasites in vegetables before and after sanitization processes. The MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, FSTA, LILACS, Scopus and AGRIS electronic databases will be used. In addition, manual searches will be carried out through related articles, references to included articles and directories of theses and dissertations. The primary outcome will be the reduction or absence of parasitic forms in vegetables after the intervention or combined interventions, and the secondary outcomes will include: identification of the main parasites, assessment of the time required for processing and cost-effectiveness analysis. Two authors will independently screen the studies and extract data. Disagreements will be resolved by discussion, and a third reviewer will decide if there is no consensus. The criteria established by the Cochrane Manual (with some adaptations) will be used to assess the risk of bias in the studies and if the results are considered acceptable and sufficiently homogeneous, and a meta-analysis will be performed to synthesize the findings. Discussion The systematic review produced from this protocol will provide evidence on the effectiveness of sanitation protocols for removing parasitic forms in vegetables and will contribute to strengthening food safety, with the adoption of best sanitation practices and prevention of health risks. In addition, the study may highlight possible knowledge gaps that need to be filled with new research. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020206929.

The consumption of fresh vegetables is related to healthy lifestyle habits present in culinary preparations in different regions. The presence of pathogenic parasites in these foods can cause gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, the objective of the present study was to carry out a narrative review of the literature on the prevalence of helminths in fresh vegetable samples. The analysis of the studies published from 2016 to 2022 showed that hookworms and Ascaris lumbricoides are the most common pathogenic helminths in fresh vegetable samples, with a prevalence of up to 73.8% and 55.1%, respectively. In addition, studies have shown associations between the presence of helminths and pathogenic protozoa. The results obtained in this review indicate the urgent need to implement actions at all stages of the vegetable production chain, from the water used in planting irrigation to cleaning before sale to the final consumer. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.