Aspetti igienico-sanitari dei prodotti vegetali di IV gamma

Fresh vegetables are recommended for the daily diet because of their low caloric content, high amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Furthermore, these foods are source of various phytochemical compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids and sterols exerting antioxidant activity. Some epidemiological and clinical studies clearly showed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables might reduce the risk of some diseases, including some forms of cancer. Modern consumers pay a great attention to the “convenience foods”, foods characterized by ease of consumption. In particular, ready-to-eat products maintain almost all characteristics of fresh harvested products. These products are minimally processed and do not undergo further manipulation before consumption. However, ready to eat vegetables might represent a potential danger for the human health due to the high risk of growth of undesirable microorganisms. Bacteria belonging to the species Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes are the most common food pathogens that contaminate fresh vegetables and ready to eat vegetables. These microorganisms constitute one the most important causes of human infections. Besides the contamination deriving from the direct contact with soil, the manure from domestic or wild animals and the inappropriate packaging, the most frequent source of contamination by enteric bacteria is represented by the irrigation water. The application of inappropriate temperatures during storage determine the rapid increase of microbial levels in fresh cut vegetables.