Soil amendments and Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella newport survival on cucurbits

Authors: Sharma, Manan; Millner, Patricia; Luo, Yaguang - Sunny; NYARKO, ESMOND - University Of Delaware

Submitted to: ARS Food Safety and Inspection Service Research Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: EMFSL conducts research on a variety of produce safety related issues. EMFSL is involved in determining what the appropriate interval is between application of manure and harvest of crops grown in manure-amended soils. EMFSL has also investigated commodities associated with recent outbreaks (cantaloupes and Listeria monocytogenes; cucumbers and Salmonella spp). The work presented here shows that L. monocytogenes survived and grew on cantaloupe stem-scars but declined on rinds at all three evaluated temperatures. This work also showed that temperature abuse of refrigerated cantaloupes coulf allow for the proliferation of L. monocytogenes populations compared to continuously stored fresh-cut melons. Also, Salmonella enterica (subsp. enterica serovar Newport) survival was evaluated on whole and fresh-cut cucumbers. This work showed that S. Newport populations declined on cucumbers stored at 10 or 22°C. Populations on phage-treated cucumbers were significantly lower than on control cucumbers at 10°C. However, whole cucumbers treated with bacteriophages and then cut did not show significant difference between phage- and control-treated cucumbers. Populations on fresh-cut cucumbers did not change by more than 1 log CFU over 2 days of storage at 4°C.