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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Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-07-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01433/full |
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Article |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Chee-Hao Kuan Yaya Rukayadi Siti H. Ahmad Che W. J. Wan Mohamed Radzi Tze-Young Thung Jayasekara M. K. J. K. Premarathne Wei-San Chang Yuet-Ying Loo Chia-Wanq Tan Othman B. Ramzi Siti N. Mohd Fadzil Chee-Sian Kuan Siok-Koon Yeo Mitsuaki Nishibuchi Son Radu Son Radu |
spellingShingle |
Chee-Hao Kuan Yaya Rukayadi Siti H. Ahmad Che W. J. Wan Mohamed Radzi Tze-Young Thung Jayasekara M. K. J. K. Premarathne Wei-San Chang Yuet-Ying Loo Chia-Wanq Tan Othman B. Ramzi Siti N. Mohd Fadzil Chee-Sian Kuan Siok-Koon Yeo Mitsuaki Nishibuchi Son Radu Son Radu Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia Frontiers in Microbiology Escherichia coli O157:H7 salmonella Listeria monocytogenes fresh produce organic farming |
author_facet |
Chee-Hao Kuan Yaya Rukayadi Siti H. Ahmad Che W. J. Wan Mohamed Radzi Tze-Young Thung Jayasekara M. K. J. K. Premarathne Wei-San Chang Yuet-Ying Loo Chia-Wanq Tan Othman B. Ramzi Siti N. Mohd Fadzil Chee-Sian Kuan Siok-Koon Yeo Mitsuaki Nishibuchi Son Radu Son Radu |
author_sort |
Chee-Hao Kuan |
title |
Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia |
title_short |
Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia |
title_full |
Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia |
title_fullStr |
Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia |
title_sort |
comparison of the microbiological quality and safety between conventional and organic vegetables sold in malaysia |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
issn |
1664-302X |
publishDate |
2017-07-01 |
description |
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 Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Enteritidis. Results indicated that most types of organic and conventional vegetables possessed similar microbial count (P > 0.05) of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms. E. coli O157:H7 and S. 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 S. Enteritidis, respectively. L. monocytogenes were more frequently detected in both organic (9.1%) and conventional vegetables (2.7%) as compared to E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and S. 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. |
topic |
Escherichia coli O157:H7 salmonella Listeria monocytogenes fresh produce organic farming |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01433/full |
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doaj-1770ef55e8a94087ae7ff96f2dc9dbbf2020-11-25T01:01:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2017-07-01810.3389/fmicb.2017.01433279019Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in MalaysiaChee-Hao Kuan0Yaya Rukayadi1Siti H. Ahmad2Che W. J. Wan Mohamed Radzi3Tze-Young Thung4Jayasekara M. K. J. K. Premarathne5Wei-San Chang6Yuet-Ying Loo7Chia-Wanq Tan8Othman B. Ramzi9Siti N. Mohd Fadzil10Chee-Sian Kuan11Siok-Koon Yeo12Mitsuaki Nishibuchi13Son Radu14Son Radu15Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of MalayaKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaNeogenix Laboratoire Sdn BhdPetaling Jaya, MalaysiaSchool of Biosciences, Taylor's University LakesideSubang Jaya, MalaysiaCenter for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto UniversityKyoto, JapanDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSerdang, MalaysiaFood Safety and Food Integrity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSeri Kembangan, MalaysiaGiven 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 Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Enteritidis. Results indicated that most types of organic and conventional vegetables possessed similar microbial count (P > 0.05) of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms. E. coli O157:H7 and S. 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 S. Enteritidis, respectively. L. monocytogenes were more frequently detected in both organic (9.1%) and conventional vegetables (2.7%) as compared to E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and S. 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.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01433/fullEscherichia coli O157:H7salmonellaListeria monocytogenesfresh produceorganic farming |