Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Citrus Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL 33850.
Microbiol Spectr. 2018 Apr;6(2). doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.PFS-0023-2018.
Low-water-activity foods have been involved in recalls and foodborne disease outbreaks. Increased consumption; better detection methods and reporting systems; improved surveillance, trace-back, and ability to connect sporadic foodborne illnesses; and inadequate implementation of food safety programs are some of the likely reasons for the increase in frequency of recalls and outbreaks linked to dry foods. Nuts and grains can be contaminated with foodborne pathogens at any stage during production, processing, storage, and distribution. Focusing on preharvest contamination, the various potential sources of contamination include soil, animal intrusion, contaminated harvesting equipment, harvest and preharvest handling, storage conditions, and others. The low water activity of nuts and grains prevents the growth of most foodborne pathogens on their surfaces. The long-term survival of bacterial foodborne pathogens (, O157:H7, and ) on dry foods has been documented in the literature for different nut types. Preventing contamination is the key to avoiding foodborne disease risks linked to dry foods. The implementation of good agricultural practices and other food safety systems provides a proactive approach to address concerns thoroughly. A plethora of research is available on preventing the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi on the surface of nuts and grains. Milling is an effective mechanism to reduce the microbial load on grains. This review focuses on providing information about associated foodborne microorganisms, preharvest contamination sources, and good agricultural practice recommendations for nuts and grains.
低水分活度食品已涉及召回和食源性疾病暴发事件。增加的消费；更好的检测方法和报告系统；改进的监测、追溯和将散发性食源性疾病联系起来的能力；以及食品安全计划的执行不足，是与干燥食品相关的召回和暴发频率增加的一些可能原因。坚果和谷物在生产、加工、储存和分销的任何阶段都可能受到食源性病原体的污染。关注收获前污染，各种潜在的污染来源包括土壤、动物入侵、受污染的收割设备、收获和收获前处理、储存条件等。坚果和谷物的低水分活度阻止了大多数食源性病原体在其表面生长。文献中已经记录了不同类型坚果中细菌食源性病原体（如李斯特菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌 O157:H7）在干燥食品上的长期存活情况。防止污染是避免与干燥食品相关的食源性疾病风险的关键。实施良好的农业规范和其他食品安全系统提供了一种主动的方法来彻底解决问题。大量研究可用于防止产毒真菌在坚果和谷物表面生长。研磨是减少谷物表面微生物负荷的有效机制。本文综述重点介绍了与相关食源性微生物、收获前污染来源以及坚果和谷物良好农业规范建议有关的信息。
