Sources and survival of Listeria monocytogenes
on fresh, leafy produce

Smith, A.; Moorhouse, E.; Monaghan, J.; Taylor, C.; Singleton, I.

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes in an intracellular human pathogen which enters the body through contaminated food stuffs and is known to contaminate fresh leafy produce such as spinach, lettuce and rocket. Routinely, fresh leafy produce is grown and processed on a large scale before reaching the consumer through various products such as sandwiches and prepared salads. From farm to fork, the fresh leafy produce supply chain is complex and contains a diverse range of environments where L. monocytogenes is sporadically detected during routine sampling of produce and processing areas. This review describes sources of the bacteria in the fresh leafy produce supply chain and outlines the physiological and molecular mechanisms behind its survival in the different environments associated with growing and processing fresh produce. Finally, current methods of source tracking the bacteria in the context of the food supply chain are discussed with emphasis on how these methods can provide additional, valuable information on the risk that L. monocytogenes isolates pose to the consumer

Citation

on fresh, leafy produce. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 125(4), 930-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.14025

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 18, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 23, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Deposit Date: Jun 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Applied Microbiology
• Print ISSN: 1364-5072
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 125
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 930-942
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.14025
• Keywords: Listeria, monocytogenes, Food Safety, Food Processing, Microbial Contamination, Soil,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1225889