Abstract
Fresh produce normally carry epiphytic microorganisms; however, it can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Categorized as ‘ready-to-eat’, most vegetables are consumed raw, thus, may present a food safety risk. Over the last three decades, global consumption of fresh vegetables has increased considerably, and the market has expanded by more than 20%. Concomitantly, the number of outbreaks involving fresh vegetables has increased significantly. Enterobacteriaceae members are involved in most of the bacterial outbreaks linked to fresh produce. There is a worldwide concern about the increased use of antimicrobials in agriculture. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria enter the food chain from the farm, often due to the use of animal manure. In the current study, the presence of entero-coliform bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibilities in fresh vegetables sampled from small farms to retail was evaluated. Samples of vegetables were (i) collected directly from small farms from central Kentucky (n=59) and (ii) from four supermarkets in Frankfort, KY including loose and pre-packaged produce (n=72), analyzed for isolation of entero-coliform species. Members of the Enterobacteriaceae were detected on 25% of farm and 40% of retail produce, respectively. Approximately, 61% of the packaged produce and 19.4% of the loose produce had entero-bacterial presence, respectively. Their resistance to fourteen common antimicrobials was tested using Kirby-Bauer method. Approximately, 63% of isolates from farm and 70% of isolates from retail produce displayed resistance to at least three antimicrobial agents, while 18% of the isolates from farm and 41% from retail samples displayed resistance to at least ten antimicrobial agents. We conclude that ‘ready-to-eat’ fresh vegetables can be a source of exposure to pathogens with multiple drug resistance (MDR), defined as resistance to at-least three antimicrobial agents, leading to greater risks in immunocompromised individuals, and may serve as reservoirs for resistance gene transfers in human colon.
Highlights
Over the last three decades the global consumption of fresh vegetables has increased significantly, the market segment for fresh produce has expanded by more than 20% [1]
The results of this study indicate that packaged produce was more contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae than loose varieties
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of evaluating antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolated on farm, packaged and loose vegetables in Kentucky
Summary
Over the last three decades the global consumption of fresh vegetables has increased significantly, the market segment for fresh produce has expanded by more than 20% [1]. A survey conducted on American consumers’ choice of supermarkets revealed that freshness of the produce and its availability across the year was the single most deciding factor. In an effort to understand consumers’ attitudes toward produce packaging, the Produce Marketing Association, Yerecic Label and the Perishables Group conducted a three-part study. Almost 90% of the participants responded that the most important feature of packaged produce is its ability to preserve freshness and taste [2]. All this has led to a greater availability of “four range” produce, a term that refers to packaged, cleaned, possibly chopped and sometimes-mixed produce ready for consumption. Consumers mentioned that they are attracted to packaged produce because of labels that contain information about the origin of the produce, recipes and cooking ideas, nutritional information, and sell-by-date [3]
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