Microbiological Risk Assessment of Ready-to-Eat Leafy Green Salads via a Novel Electrochemical Sensor

Abstract

Nowadays, the growing interest in a healthy lifestyle, to compensate for modern stressful habits, has led to an increased demand for wholesome products with quick preparation times. Fresh and ready-to-eat leafy green vegetables are generally perceived as salutary and safe, although they have been recognized as a source of food poisoning outbreaks worldwide. The reason is that these products retain much of their indigenous microflora after minimal industrial processing, and are expected to be consumed without any additional treatment by consumers. Microbiological safety requires a systematic approach that encompasses all aspects of production, processing and distribution. Nevertheless, the most common laboratory techniques used for the detection of pathogens are expensive, time consuming, need laboratory professionals and are not able to provide prompt results, required to undertake effective corrective actions. In this context, the solution proposed in this work is a novel electrochemical sensing system, able to provide real-time information on microbiological risk, which is also potentially embeddable in an industrial production line. The results showed the sensor ability to detect leafy green salad bacterial contaminations with adequate sensibility, even at a low concentration.