Sometimes washing your produce just isn’t enough
Properly sanitizing your fruits and veggies may not be enough anymore. While bacteria is usually found on the surface of produce, researchers found certain strands that can live deep within the tissue of it, where washing won’t do any good. According to a Purdue University study, both e. coli and salmonella were found in the tissue of certain plants. Washing your produce may get it clean on the outside – but what about the inside?
Amanda Deering, a post-doctoral researcher in food science, found that these harmful bacteria were present in every major tissue in the plants, as well as the corresponding cells. Researchers studied mung bean sprouts and peanut seedlings in which they found e.coli and salmonella respectively. Apparently the seeds were contaminated with the pathogens prior to planting. They could have also been contaminated through polluted soil or water the seeds were planted in.
Because the process used to find the pathogens in the plants before this study involves slicing off pieces of the plant, researchers could never be completely sure where the bacteria originated from. To avoid this, Deering used colored antibodies to track the movement of the pathogens, a process known as immunocytochemisty.
According to researchers, cleaning the produce properly would eliminate the Salmonella and E. coli on the surface, but wouldn’t affect the flesh. However, cooking the produce at temperatures that kill pathogens (270 degrees Fahrenheit) would remove them for the inner tissues of the food.
Angela, KIWI Intern
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