The Effect of Storage andWater Rising of Microbial Contamination of Carrots and Cucumbers.

Abstract

In this work the Effect of storage and water rinsing in reducing the microbial contamination of carrots and Cucumbers and the time of spoilage was evaluated. In storage experiment done , washed and unwashed of carrots and cucumbers samples were stored at room and refrigerator temperatures.Washing with running tap water resulted in big reduction of the microbial load of carrots and cucumbers. The reduction ranged between 85 – 99 % for the total bacterial count, 92 % for moulds, and between 74 and 90 % for coliform bacteria. Unwashed samples and samples stored at room temperature spoiled more quickly than the washed samples and the sample stored in the refrigerator. In general carrots samples stored at room temperature spoiled in six to seven days and those store in the refrigerator spoiled in nine to ten days ,with respect to cucumbers spoilage occurred often six days at room temperature and after seven days in the refrigerator.From this experiment we found that carrots was more resistant to spoilage than the cucumbers. Carrots and cucumbers spoilage was eminent when the microbial load reached about 106 ????????????/????.It was concluded that, although the thorough cleaning of salad Carrots and Cucumbers with water and their storage in refrigerator would greatly reduce their microbial load, elimination of all microbial would not be achieved.