Abstract
Ready-to-eat food products can be readily consumed without further preparation and are convenient for busy on-the-go consumers. The objective of the study was to assess the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat salads. Thirty RTE salads were tested for the presence of bacteria, yeasts, and molds using the TEMPO and agar plate method. The study demonstrated that most of the tested products were characterized by varying microbiological quality. The total number of mesophilic microbiotas was about 6 log CFU g−1. The high number of microorganisms was due to yeast and molds or Enterobacteriaceae. Half of the salads were contaminated with E. coli and three salads were contaminated with S. aureus. LAB were also found, which can be explained mainly by a dairy ingredient. In some salads, Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were detected (26.7% and 33.3% of the samples, respectively). Based on the conducted tests, it was found that the microbiological quality was not satisfactory. The results presented in this study indicate that there is a significant problem of the presence of pathogens. Manufacturers should strive to reduce the possibility of microbial contamination through the use of widely understood hygiene of the production process, using hurdle technology, including the modified atmosphere and refrigerated storage.
Highlights
Convenience food has become an alternative to traditionally prepared food
The production of ready-to-eat salads is constantly growing and they are currently produced on an industrial scale [3]. The availability of both RTE fruit and vegetables on the market may contribute to increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables in the general population and contribute to efforts to achieve a daily consumption of 400 g of vegetables and fruit per capita, as recommended by the
The European Commission Regulation No 852/2004 [18] on the hygiene of foodstuffs requires businesses to implement Good Hygiene Practice and a food safety management system based on hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles, many authors indicated that RTE food causes high microbiological risk [19]
Summary
Convenience food has become an alternative to traditionally prepared food. Convenience food can be defined as: food, typically a complete meal, that has been pre-prepared commercially and so requires minimum further preparation by the consumer. The demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) products, including salads, is increasing. The production of ready-to-eat salads is constantly growing and they are currently produced on an industrial scale [3]. The availability of both RTE fruit and vegetables on the market may contribute to increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables in the general population and contribute to efforts to achieve a daily consumption of 400 g of vegetables and fruit per capita, as recommended by the. The European Commission Regulation No 852/2004 [18] on the hygiene of foodstuffs requires businesses to implement Good Hygiene Practice and a food safety management system based on hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles, many authors indicated that RTE food causes high microbiological risk [19]. The main objective of this study was to assess the microbiological quality of readyto-eat salads from the Polish market and to evaluate whether the composition, time, and method of packaging had an impact on the shelf life of these salads
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