DETECTION OF ENTEROBACTERIACEAE IN SPROUTS

Microscale vegetable production has become popular due to its high nutritional value and economical production. They can be classified into sprouts, microgreens, and baby leaves. Sprouts and microgreens are more vulnerable to bacterial internalization and colonization than adult plants. The high nutritional content during the germination process, as well as the ideal conditions for obtaining these vegetables, are favorable for the development of pathogenic microorganisms. The main microorganisms linked to outbreaks and recalls in sprouts and microgreens are Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli, both belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family and Listeria sp. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae in commercial microgreens. A total of 53 samples of Sunflower (n=33), Cabbage Mammoth Red Rock (n=7), Radish Sarvesh (n=4), Mustard Nayana (n=6), and Beet Shankar (n=3) microgreens were analyzed. All samples were collected in retail in Belo Horizonte - MG. For the methodology, the counts were performed using VRBG agar by plating in microdrops with an overlay of the same agar and incubating at 37°C for 24 hours. The counts for Enterobacteriaceae ranged from < 1 log CFU/g to 7.4 log CFU/g. The highest variation was observed for Beet Shankar microgreens, where counts ranged from < 1 log CFU/g to 7.0 log CFU/g, where the small sampling could explain this considerable variation. For sunflower microgreens, the counts ranged from 2.7 to 6.9 log CFU/g. Meanwhile, for Cabbage Mammoth Red, the Enterobacteriaceae population varied from 5.5 to 7.4 log CFU/g. For Radish Sarvesh, the count ranged from 5.7 to 7.3 log CFU/g. Finally, for Mustard Nayana, the count ranged from 5.0 to 7.2 log CFU/g. These variations in Enterobacteriaceae counts can be explained due to the cultivation method and growth substrates and other factors, such as temperature, relative humidity, pH, and storage time, which can also influence microbial concentrations. In conclusion, it could be observed that microgreens can be vehicles of microorganisms responsible for the occurrence of foodborne diseases, requiring a deeper investigation of the effects of the variables that participate in this process for better control.