Edited by
Gerald Sapers, USDA - Retired
Ethan Solomon, DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise, Wilmington, DE, USA
Karl Matthews, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
Description
This book is organized into five sections beginning with an introduction in which the problem is described in terms of the number and
size of produce related outbreaks, the commodities involved, and the human pathogens involved. The introduction also documents the failure
of conventional sanitizing treatments to assure microbiological safety examining the problems of microbial attachment.
The second
section reviews methods of identifying a contamination source (epidemiology, trace back, strain identification, location of Source) and
then focuses on the various sources of microbial contamination (water, manure, airborne dust, wildlife, human activity) and where in
the crop production sequence they might result in contamination.
In the third section, some of the commodities associated
with major outbreaks (leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cantaloupes, apples, berries, sprouts) are examined to determine what characteristics
make them especially vulnerable to contamination.
The fourth section then addresses means of avoiding produce contamination
through use of Good Agricultural Practices and recommendations in FDA and industry guidance documents. Regulatory actions (recalls, restrictions
on imports) to safeguard the public from potentially hazardous products are described. Coverage includes policy and practices in the
US, Mexico and Central America, Europe and Japan.
The fifth section examines current technologies for reducing human pathogens
in fresh produce including disinfection, rapid methods for detecting contaminants, irradiation, gas-phase application and best practices
acceptable to organic growers, packers and processors.
Included in series
Food Science and Technology
Audience:
This book will be useful to growers, packers and fresh-cut processors and their trade associations and suppliers, especially those impacted
by outbreaks of foodborne illness. Also a valuable source of information to researchers at universities and government agencies who
are investigating means of avoiding contamination and improving the microbiological safety of fresh produce.
