Fruits and Vegetables, Inviting New Guests to Dinner
We all are pretty much aware of the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The caveat is what comes with our fresh array of produce. Recent research presented at the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society shows us just how important it is to wash our produce thoroughly before consumption – and that even this may not be enough to stave off the microbes found IN our food.
Studies have shown that certain disease causing bacteria are finding ways to make it inside our produce where surface cleansing treatments cannot reach. In addition, microbes can organize themselves into tightly knit communities called biofilms that coat fruits and vegetables and that protect the bacteria from harm.
Now, new findings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggest that irradiation, a food treatment currently being reviewed by the FDA can effectively kill internalized bacteria that are beyond the reach of conventional chemical sanitizing treatments.
To see how internalized bacteria responded to various sanitizing treatments, scientists devised a way to pull bacteria into the leaves of leafy green vegetables. The scientists cut leaves of lettuce and spinach into pieces and infected them with e. coli. After treatment with the bacterial solution the study proceeded to show that washing with plain water or with dilute bleach solution did not result in a reduction of the e. coli. Ionizing radiation, in contrast, significantly reduced the bacterial population in both the lettuce and the spinach. The biofilms that contained clusters of bacteria did not stand up well to the irradiation and much of the bacteria trapped inside died.
Further studies are going to focus on how irradiation works in the fields on plant tissue. Nothing was said about how irradiation might affect nutrients found in the plant. Further studies are needed on how this method of sanitation might affect the nutritional quality of plant tissues both in the fresh and cooked states.
About the Author
Kathy Shattler received her Master of Science degree from Michigan State University in E. Lansing Michigan in Human Nutrition. Her twenty-two years of practice includes holding positions as a Lecturer, Chief Clinical Dietitian and Program Manager. Kathy is the Founder of Nutri-Care Consulting and is currently the Nutrition Director of www.CEU4U.COM, an online continuing education management company for Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians.
