Microbial and Parasitic Contamination of Vegetables in Developing Countries and Their Food Safety Guidelines

Abstract

The safety of humans is of paramount importance in the vegetable production chain. Evidence of microbial and parasitic contamination of these products poses a great threat to consumers. This is an emerging issue the world is battling, and it is still in the process of unravelling. However, one of the contributing factors responsible for the rapid spread of these pathogens to millions of people among other factors is the distribution of food in our food systems. The purpose of this study was to draw the attention of producers, retailers, consumers, and various stakeholders to the occurrence and potential hazard of these organisms, their contamination origin, and food safety protocols. Among the food system, vegetables play a major role, and their consumption has increased as they form a larger portion of daily diets. This urge for healthy diets coupled with changing dietary habits and human population explosion has therefore accelerated their production. This has resulted in parasitic and microbial contamination gaining grounds in salad vegetables, and as such, a wide range of microbes such as Escherichia coli O157: H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella, and Staphylococcus, and parasites such as Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, Cystoisospora belli, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichuris trichiura, and Ascaris lumbricoides have been isolated from them. Therefore, major routes for salad vegetable contamination and prevention methods have been pointed out in this review article. The topic of protective countermeasures will also be covered here in this review. Notwithstanding, several control measures have been reported to be effective and efficient in removing or eliminating pathogens, including treatment of irrigation water and fertilizers, use of disinfectants like vinegar and saltwater, irradiation, ozone, and bacteriophages. Though consumption of vegetables and salads is encouraged due to their nutritional advantage, appropriate systems should be put in place to ensure their safety.