Recently, consumers demand for healthy and fresh foods, including fresh ginseng and ginseng sprouts has increased. However, evaluation of microbial safety for ginseng sprouts have not been intensively conducted. The purpose of this study was to investigate microbial contamination levels on ginseng sprouts produced on 20 different farms and green moss used as packaging material at these farms. Microbial contamination levels of sanitary indicator microorganisms (total aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, coliform, yeasts, and molds) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) were evaluated in ginseng sprouts and green moss. As a result, the abundance of total aerobic bacteria in ginseng sprouts and green moss ranged from 5.52-8.08 and 5.74-9.70 log CFU/g, respectively. The average population of yeasts and molds on ginseng sprouts and green moss were observed to be > 3 log CFU/g at all the farms. In particular, the average populations of B. cereus in ginseng sprouts and green moss were 3.56 and 5.88 log CFU/g, respectively. Foodborne pathogens were not detected in all ginseng sprouts. However, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 7 (41%) out of 17 green moss. Therefore, the study findings highlight the need of developing an effective control strategy for eliminating hazardous microorganisms, to improve the microbial safety of ginseng sprouts.
This study investigates microbial contamination in pre-treated agricultural products. Eleven types of pre-treated agricultural product were evaluated for microbial contamination arising from four distribution channels: supermarket, local market, online, and traditional market. Of the 38 samples examined, the average populations of total aerobic bacteria and coliform in sliced garlic were higher by 6.85 and 5.94 log CFU/g, respectively. Similarly, the average populations of total aerobic bacteria and coliform determined in shredded green onion were 6.39 and 5.46 log CFU/g, respectively. In particular, the average populations of total aerobic bacteria were higher in sliced garlic and shredded green onion than in peeled garlic and peeled green onion. Furthermore, Bacillus cereus (13.16%) was detected in peeled chestnut, peeled potato, cut Chinese yam, and cut green onion. In addition, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from cut radish in 1 out of 38 samples (2.63%). However, no correlation was obtained between microbial population and distribution channel in all samples. These results could provide the basic information to control the microbial safety of pre-treated agricultural products.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.