Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce covers all aspects of produce safety including:

• pathogen ecology
• agro-management
• pre-harvest and post-harvest interventions
• adverse economic impacts of outbreaks

This book examines the current state of the problems associated with fresh produce by reviewing the recent, high-profile outbreaks associated with fresh-produce, including the possible internalization of pathogens by plant tissues, and understanding how human pathogens survive and multiply in water, soils, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Contents

Section I: Microbial Contamination of Fresh Produce

1. Enteric human pathogens associated with fresh produce: sources, transport and ecology
2. The origin and spread of human pathogens in fruit production systems
3. Internalization of Pathogens in Produce

Section II: Pre-harvest Strategies

4. Produce safety in organic vs conventional crops
5. The Role of Good Agricultural Practices in Produce Safety
6. Effective Managing through a Crisis
7. The Role of Water and Water testing in Produce Safety
8. Role of manure and compost in produce safety

Section III: Post-harvest Interventions

9. Aqueous antimicrobial treatments to improve fresh and fresh-cut produce safety
10. Irradiation enhances quality and microbial safety of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables
11. Biological control of human pathogens on produce
12. Extension of Shelf-life and Control of Human Pathogens in Produce by Antimicrobial Edible Films and Coatings
13. Improving Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce Using Thermal Treatment
14. Enhanced Safety and Extended Shelf-life of Fresh Produce for the Military

Section IV: Produce Safety during Processing and Handling

15. Consumer and Food Service Handling of Fresh Produce
16. Plant Sanitation and Good Manufacturing Practices for Optimum Food Safety in Fresh-cut Produce
17. Third party audit programs for the fresh produce industry
18. Pathogen Detection in Produce using Applications of Immunomagnetic Beads and Biosensors

Section V: Public, Legal, and Economic Perspectives

19. Public Response to the 2006 Recall of Contaminated Spinach
20. Produce in public: Spinach, safety and public policy
21. Contaminated Fresh Produce and Product Liability: A Law-in-Action Perspective
22. The Economics of Food Safety: The 2006 Foodborne Illness Outbreak Linked to Spinach

Section VI: Research Challenges and Directions

23. Research Needs and Future Directions

Index

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