Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables

Marques, Cláudia S.; Sousa, Susana; Castro, António; Ferreira, Vânia; Teixeira, Paula; da Costa, José M. Correia

doi:10.3390/app12147145

Open AccessArticle

Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables

by

Cláudia S. Marques

^1,2,3

,

Susana Sousa

^1,2,3

,

António Castro

^1,2,3,

Vânia Ferreira

⁴,

Paula Teixeira

^4,*

and

José M. Correia da Costa

^1,2,3

¹

Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Praça do Coronel Pacheco 42, 4050-083 Porto, Portugal

²

Centre for the Study in Animal Science (CECA), University of Porto, Praça do Coronel Pacheco 42, 4050-083 Porto, Portugal

³

Centre for Parasite Biology and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSARJ), Rua de Alexandre Herculano, 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal

⁴

CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina—Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7145; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147145

Submission received: 1 June 2022 / Revised: 28 June 2022 / Accepted: 8 July 2022 / Published: 15 July 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Contamination of Foods and Mixture Effects)

Download

Browse Figure

Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

The monitoring of the microbial quality of fresh products in the industrial environment has mainly focused on bacterial indicators. Protozoa, such as Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Cyclospora cayetanensis, are routinely excluded from detection and surveillance systems, despite guidelines and regulations that support the need for tracking and monitoring these pathogens in fresh food products. Previous studies performed by our laboratory, within the scope of the SafeConsume project, clearly indicated that consumption of fresh produce may be a source of T. gondii, thus posing a risk for the contraction of toxoplasmosis for susceptible consumers. Therefore, preliminary work was performed in order to assess the microbiological quality of vegetables, highlighting not only bacteria (Escherichia. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp.), but also the zoonotic protozoa G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. Although all samples were found to be acceptable based on bacteriological parameters, cysts of G. duodenalis and oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. were observed in vegetables. Moreover, it was possible to genetically characterize G. duodenalis positive samples as assemblage A, a genotype that poses risks to human health. Although these are preliminary results, they highlight the need to include protozoa in the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, as required by EU Law No. 1441/2007, and to improve inactivation and removal procedures of (oo)cysts in fresh produce and water.

Keywords: vegetables; foodborne pathogens; Giardia duodenalis; Cryptosporidium spp.; Escherichia coli; Listeria monocytogenes; Salmonella spp.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Marques, C.S.; Sousa, S.; Castro, A.; Ferreira, V.; Teixeira, P.; da Costa, J.M.C. Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 7145. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147145

AMA Style

Marques CS, Sousa S, Castro A, Ferreira V, Teixeira P, da Costa JMC. Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables. Applied Sciences. 2022; 12(14):7145. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147145

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marques, Cláudia S., Susana Sousa, António Castro, Vânia Ferreira, Paula Teixeira, and José M. Correia da Costa. 2022. "Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables" Applied Sciences 12, no. 14: 7145. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147145

APA Style

Marques, C. S., Sousa, S., Castro, A., Ferreira, V., Teixeira, P., & da Costa, J. M. C. (2022). Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables. Applied Sciences, 12(14), 7145. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147145

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Protozoa as the “Underdogs” for Microbiological Quality Evaluation of Fresh Vegetables

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI