| Title: |
POTENTIAL FOR BACTERIAL GROWTH ON THE FRESH CUT TROPICAL SQUASH, CALABAZA ( CURCUBITA MOSCHATA), DURING STORAGE |
| Authors: |
MONTVILLE, REBECCA; SMITH, SARAH; PERDOMO, PEDRO; NITZSCHE, PETER J.; SCHAFFNER, DONALD W. |
| Source: |
Journal of Food Safety ; volume 23, issue 3, page 159-166 ; ISSN 0149-6085 1745-4565 |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley |
| Publication Year: |
2003 |
| Collection: |
Wiley Online Library (Open Access Articles via Crossref) |
| Description: |
Calabaza (Curcubita moschata) is a tropical squash which is gaining popularity as a specialty crop for agricultural producers in the Northeast United States. It is commonly marketed by being cut in half, wrapped in plastic and may be held unrefrigerated until sold. This method of display is essential for consumer acceptance, yet unrefrigerated storage means that some potential for food safety problems exists. Experiments were conducted to determine the potential for bacterial growth during storage of cut calabaza. Freshly cut calabaza contained between 1.3 and 4.7 log 10 CFU/g aerobic mesophiles. By 10 h, duplicate counts from some samples exceeded 4 log 10 CFU/g. After 24 h of room temperature storage, total aerobic plate counts ranged from 5.2 to 7.7 log 10 CFU/g. Rapid bacterial growth on cut calabaza stored at room temperature indicates that these products are highly perishable, and may be able to support the growth of pathogenic bacteria, should they be introduced during the slicing process. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1111/j.1745-4565.2003.tb00359.x |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2003.tb00359.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1745-4565.2003.tb00359.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2003.tb00359.x |
| Rights: |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.7E0EEBC2 |
| Database: |
BASE |