Microbiological Safety of Strawberries and Lettuce for Domestic Consumption in Egypt

Abstract

Food borne outbreaks with fresh produce are increasingly being reported in developed countries. Food borne illness is an important threat for human health also in developing countries, but data on food safety, in particular related to microbial food safety in fruits and vegetables, the developing world are scarce. In the present study, the sanitary quality and safety of Egyptian lettuce and strawberries, obtained from either primary production or domestic retail market, was assessed by enumeration of faecal indicators organism Escherichia coli and coliforms and the detection of Salmonella spp. Twelve farms in three different regions of Egypt were visited and apart from strawberries (18) and lettuce (18) also samples of soil (12) and irrigation water (12) were obtained. Furthermore, three different types of domestic retail outlets, i.e. open markets, shops and hypermarkets were sampled for strawberries (30) and lettuce (30). Salmonella prevalence in Egyptian domestic fresh produce was very high, namely 42% (20/48) in lettuce and 29% (14/48) in strawberries. The presence of Salmonella was associated with elevated levels of E. coli and coliforms. Observations from this restricted data set suggest that the microbiological quality and safety of lettuce and strawberries in the primary production of Egypt is subjected to considerable regional differences, presumably related to differences in irrigation water quality. Moreover, the microbiological quality and safety of retail lettuce and strawberries increased in accordance with the scale and organization level of the retail outlet.

Prevalence and serovar diversity of Salmonella spp. in primary horticultural fruit production environments

“…The overall prevalence rate (5.3%) observed in the present study is higher than what has been generally reported from previous studies in the developed world (Duffy et al, 2005;Castillo et al, 2004;Giusti et al, 2010;Gorski et al, 2011;Johnston et al, 2005;Micallef et al, 2012., Mukherjee et al, 2006, but comparatively lower than that reported in some other developing countries (Abakpa et al, 2015;Ndiaye et al, 2011;Uyttendaele et al, 2014). …”

“…According to a study by Uyttendaele et al (2014), good agricultural practices (GAP) are well understood and implemented in developed countries but not so in developing countries.…”

A Review on the Rising Prevalence of International Standards: Threats or Opportunities for the Agri-Food Produce Sector in Developing Countries, with a Focus on Examples from the MENA Region

“…The MENA countries bordering Europe are in a prime location to export produce to the EU. However, unfortunately, most food control systems in the MENA region are unable to meet the mandated international requirements, due to lack of the required advanced technical and scientific knowledge, political will, and to an unacceptable level of food safety by small-scale farmers and the domestic market [73]. This remains largely unaddressed, despite major reforms being introduced to their national food safety systems, with varying degrees of accomplishments.…”

“…Studies reporting on food safety issues in developing countries are very few, but what exists indicates there is widespread contaminated soil; poor agricultural growing methods with the misuse of pesticides, hormones, and fertilizers; and inappropriate post-harvest practices along the food chain, such as the use of untreated wastewater for irrigation and the processing of vegetables [37,73,93,94,95]. The unregulated use of feces-contaminated water for irrigation and the application of untreated manure on fields are classified as primary risk factors; these are largely practiced in Egypt and Lebanon, leading to contamination of the agricultural environment and fresh produce [37,73].…”

“…The unregulated use of feces-contaminated water for irrigation and the application of untreated manure on fields are classified as primary risk factors; these are largely practiced in Egypt and Lebanon, leading to contamination of the agricultural environment and fresh produce [37,73]. In Egypt, there was a high prevalence of Salmonella in strawberries (28%) and lettuce (39%), as well as in soil (42%) and water used for irrigation or washing (42%) [73]. …”