FRESH CUT FRUITS - AN OVERVIEW OF MICROBIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS, RECENT OUTBREAKS AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES

Abstract

Fruits play an essential role in the human diet, being the major source of dietary nutrients and preventing many chronic diseases. Nowadays, consuming prepared food is commonly preferred by consumers since they are time saving and more convenient. Within this scope, the fresh-cut market, mainly including fruits and vegetables, has broadened substantially in recent years. Fruits, which have a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms, are also highly perishable products with a short shelf life because of mechanical operations. Therefore, serving the product as fresh-cut produce increases concern about the safety of these products, which has become another issue that the suppliers must consider. Recently, consumers have become more conscious of food safety since the transmission of pathogens can cause foodborne diseases. Therefore, information on fresh-cut fruits (FCFs) and recent outbreaks caused by these products are reported in this review. Data collected for each outbreak included the implicated food, year, pathogen, location, and number of cases. According to data, five outbreaks caused by FCFs were reported in recent years, resulting in 466 illnesses, 167 hospitalizations and 1 death. Mainly Salmonella spp. was found a common threat for the minimally produced fruits in these outbreaks. Preventive approaches were also included in the review to maintain the safety of FCFs.