Microbial evaluation of minimally processed vegetables and sprouts produced in Seoul, Korea

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of some minimally processed vegetables. A total of 345 samples of minimally processed vegetables were acquired at a department store, a local supermarket, and a restaurant in Seoul, Korea. Samples were tested for microorganism distributions and for the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The aerobic mesophilic counts ranged between 2.0 and 9.7 log CFU/g, with the highest count recorded from the sprouts. Counts of psychrotrophic microorganisms were as high as those of the mesophilic microorganisms. Total coliform populations between 1.0 and 8.8 log CFU/g were found in 98.3% of the samples. Microbiological counts for fresh-cut fruits were very low. Sprouts were highly contaminated with microorganisms and showed a high incidence of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringence. Salmonella species and Listeria monocytogenes were detected in 1.5 and 0.3% of samples, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 and Yersinia enterocolitica were not detected in any of the samples.