Salmonella and tomatoes

Outbreak information linking fresh tomato fruit to illnesses is reviewed in this chapter. While tomato fruit appear to support substantial proliferation of certain serovars of Salmonella enterica, detection of this pathogen in tomato plants prior to harvest is rare, and reports of Salmonella existence in tomato fruit still attached to field-grown plants are virtually non-existent. The bacterium is sensitive to UV and can be outcompeted by the native phytomicrobiota, which may explain its absence in field-grown crops. However, the persistence of certain serovars in fields and ponds of certain production areas is noted. Together with evidence of bacteria becoming internalized in tomato fruit during crop development likely through natural apertures, the presence of S. enterica in and around production fields suggests that an unusual weather event could lead to Salmonella contamination of fruit prior to harvest. The bacterium appears physiologically adaptive toward proliferation in tomato fruit. Once inside tomatoes, Salmonella is capable of sensing the availability of nutrients and physiological state of the fruit and differentially regulates specific genes. However, because Salmonella is an efficient nutrient scavenger, removal of multiple metabolic and regulatory genes was required to reduce its fitness within the fruit. Plants do not appear to recognize human enterics as pathogens, and their defenses treat them as endophytes

Application of ISO22000 and comparison to HACCP for processing of ready to eat vegetables: Part I

Preliminary Hazard Analysis was used to analyse and predict the occurring failure modes in a food chain system (ready to eat vegetables processing plant), in conjunction with ISO22000, the new Food Safety Management System, based on the functions, characteristics and/or interactions of the ingredients or the processes, upon which the system depends. Critical control points (CCPs) have been identified and implemented in the Hazard Analysis Critical Point Control plan. The decision table for CCP determination during processing of ready to eat vegetables is shown and compared with the ISO22000 Analysis Worksheet for determination of the prerequisite programmes. The prerequisite programmes are the main difference between the two systems. The incorporation of PrPs in the ISO22000 made the system more flexible as a smaller number of CCPs was introduced