05 April 2016
Muscat - Scientists at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have uncovered evidence of potentially disease-causing pathogens in fruits and vegetables sold in the Sultanate -- a discovery that calls into question the conditions in which fresh farm produce is cultivated and handled before it is made available for local consumption. The issue assumes particular significance in the context of next week's annual Food Safety Week organised by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in collaboration with a number of stakeholder institutions and government bodies. The week-long event, which opens on April 10, will address a wide spectrum of issues impinging on food safety.
The study, undertaken by SQU's College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, analysed 105 samples of fresh fruits and vegetables originating from around the world, as well as locally cultivated farm produce.
Included in the sample list, sourced from markets in Muscat and Nizwa, were banana, dates, mango, papaya, pomegranate, tomato, watermelon, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cucumber, lettuce and radish.
In lab analysis of the samples, the researchers stumbled upon evidence of bacterial communities, including many harmful varieties, thriving on the surface of the fruits and vegetables sampled as part of the study. Enterobacteriaceae, a family of bacteria whose members are associated with foodborne illness and food spoilage, occurred in 60 per cent of the sample fruits and 91 per cent of the vegetables.
Enterococcus, a species of bacteria that can cause a variety of infections, including urinary tract infections, nosocomial bacteremia, endocarditis, and meningitis, was isolated from 20 per cent of fruits and 42 per cent of vegetables. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the main causes of bloodstream infections in humans, were isolated from 22 per cent of the fruits and 7 per cent of the vegetables.
In all, as many as 97 types of bacteria belonging to 21 different species were identified during the study. The most abundant species were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae (a 'superbug' blamed for a range of diseases), Enterococcus casseliflavus (implicated in a wide number of diseases), and Enterobacter cloacae (potentially linked to nosocomial infections).
Commenting on the study, the researchers noted that the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables around the world has been found to be accompanied by an uptick in the number of human infections and outbreaks.
"Clearly, these bacteria can gain access to critical sites in the body and establish infections. Many of them are considered as opportunistic pathogens capable of establishing infections in immuno-compromised individuals," the scientists wrote.
The researchers warned that the presence of high aerobic plate counts (an indicator of the level of bacteria in a food item), as well as Enterobacteriaceae and faecal bacteria, is suggestive of the conditions in which locally marketed fresh farm produce is cultivated and handled.
These conditions are "not satisfactory and should be improved", the scientists stated in conclusion.
Muscat - Scientists at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have uncovered evidence of potentially disease-causing pathogens in fruits and vegetables sold in the Sultanate -- a discovery that calls into question the conditions in which fresh farm produce is cultivated and handled before it is made available for local consumption. The issue assumes particular significance in the context of next week's annual Food Safety Week organised by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in collaboration with a number of stakeholder institutions and government bodies. The week-long event, which opens on April 10, will address a wide spectrum of issues impinging on food safety.
The study, undertaken by SQU's College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, analysed 105 samples of fresh fruits and vegetables originating from around the world, as well as locally cultivated farm produce.
Included in the sample list, sourced from markets in Muscat and Nizwa, were banana, dates, mango, papaya, pomegranate, tomato, watermelon, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cucumber, lettuce and radish.
In lab analysis of the samples, the researchers stumbled upon evidence of bacterial communities, including many harmful varieties, thriving on the surface of the fruits and vegetables sampled as part of the study. Enterobacteriaceae, a family of bacteria whose members are associated with foodborne illness and food spoilage, occurred in 60 per cent of the sample fruits and 91 per cent of the vegetables.
Enterococcus, a species of bacteria that can cause a variety of infections, including urinary tract infections, nosocomial bacteremia, endocarditis, and meningitis, was isolated from 20 per cent of fruits and 42 per cent of vegetables. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the main causes of bloodstream infections in humans, were isolated from 22 per cent of the fruits and 7 per cent of the vegetables.
In all, as many as 97 types of bacteria belonging to 21 different species were identified during the study. The most abundant species were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae (a 'superbug' blamed for a range of diseases), Enterococcus casseliflavus (implicated in a wide number of diseases), and Enterobacter cloacae (potentially linked to nosocomial infections).
Commenting on the study, the researchers noted that the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables around the world has been found to be accompanied by an uptick in the number of human infections and outbreaks.
"Clearly, these bacteria can gain access to critical sites in the body and establish infections. Many of them are considered as opportunistic pathogens capable of establishing infections in immuno-compromised individuals," the scientists wrote.
The researchers warned that the presence of high aerobic plate counts (an indicator of the level of bacteria in a food item), as well as Enterobacteriaceae and faecal bacteria, is suggestive of the conditions in which locally marketed fresh farm produce is cultivated and handled.
These conditions are "not satisfactory and should be improved", the scientists stated in conclusion.
© Oman Daily Observer 2016
