Version 1
: Received: 11 June 2022 / Approved: 15 June 2022 / Online: 15 June 2022 (02:43:56 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 25 June 2022 / Approved: 29 June 2022 / Online: 29 June 2022 (09:47:27 CEST)
How to cite:
Shahbaz, M.S.; Bilal, M. Microbiological Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce and Salads Served at Quick Service Restaurants. Preprints2022, 2022060210. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0210.v2
Shahbaz, M.S.; Bilal, M. Microbiological Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce and Salads Served at Quick Service Restaurants. Preprints 2022, 2022060210. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0210.v2
Shahbaz, M.S.; Bilal, M. Microbiological Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce and Salads Served at Quick Service Restaurants. Preprints2022, 2022060210. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0210.v2
APA Style
Shahbaz, M.S., & Bilal, M. (2022). Microbiological Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce and Salads Served at Quick Service Restaurants. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0210.v2
Chicago/Turabian Style
Shahbaz, M.S. and Muhammad Bilal. 2022 "Microbiological Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce and Salads Served at Quick Service Restaurants" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0210.v2
Abstract
The consumption and sale of fresh-cut products and salads have been growing tremendously in the present era. Therefore, the microbial safety of such products is of great concern. In the current study, a survey of general microbiological safety of fresh-cut produce and salads at quick-service restaurants (QSR) was undertaken across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These findings were compared with microbiological criteria for foodstuffs by Saudi standards, metrology, and quality organization SASO-GSO-1016. Of the 82 samples of fresh-cut produce, 7% of samples were found to be unsatisfactory or beyond the acceptable limits. TPC count was unsatisfactory at 22%, coliform at 48%, and Staphylococcus aureus at 4%. For 108 samples for fresh salads, 11% of samples were found to be unsatisfactory or beyond the acceptable limits,13%, 27%, 4%, and 27% of samples showed an unsatisfactory range of TPC, coliforms, S. aureus, and Escherichia coli, respectively. The fresh-cut produce and salads were microbiologically safe in the central region compared to the eastern region followed by the western region. The relatively higher count was found in green pepper, mixed vegetables, and lettuce followed by fresh-cut onions and coleslaw salads. No Salmonella was detected in both fresh-cut produce and salads. The restaurants should be more stringent in their processing to ensure the consumer safety. Washing and sanitization of produce is the only way to reduce the diffusion of food borne pathogens.
Biology and Life Sciences, Immunology and Microbiology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
