New Challenges in Foodborne Pathogen Detection in Fresh Produce

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, the number of reported foodborne diseases linked to fresh produce has increased in several countries.

Microbial contamination can occur through various means, including animals and insects, soil, water, unclean equipment, and human handling. Microorganisms can attach firmly to plant surfaces or become internalized within plant tissues, which can protect them from industrial or domestic disinfection practices.

Contaminated vegetables and fruits pose a significant health risk because they are often consumed raw or with minimal processing.

Various pathogens are capable of surviving throughout the shelf life of vegetables, even under adverse conditions such as exposure to sanitization, desiccation, low temperatures, frost protection, high UV radiation, and long-distance transportation. These conditions can induce a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in various pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. The impact of VBNC pathogens contaminating fresh vegetables on human health is not well known, mainly because of the lack of suitable detection methodologies to distinguish them from dead cells.

This Special Issue will bridge the gaps among microbial risk assessment, control strategies, academic research, and practical applications. Therefore, manuscripts addressing the following topics are welcome:

1. New rapid methods for the detection of microorganisms in fresh produce;
2. New rapid methods able to distinguish microorganisms in a VBNC state from dead cells in fresh foods;
3. Applications of rapid methods in the detection of pathogen survival and behavior during the storage and shelf life of fresh vegetables;
4. Applications of rapid methods to evaluate the effectiveness of industrial and domestic disinfection techniques in minimizing microbial contamination.

Dr. Dario De Medici
Dr. Elisabetta Delibato
Guest Editors

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