North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov]

Dennis,

Your critical protective step may actually be the pasteurization, not
the sanitation.

I investigated an E coli O157:H7 outbreak in CT associated with apple
cider. They washed and brushed their apples, they used some drops.  They
also sold the product raw.
Due to the brisk and thorough washing procedure used at this cider mill,
we hypothesized that some bacteria may have been sheltered in the open
end of the apple (blossom end), or in the stem crevice.
As Lucky stated, this pathogen is of concern due to the small number of
organisms needed to cause infection, and I would add, the potentially
severe consequences of infection.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00045558.htm

However, within a couple of years, we learned that there may be another
location for pathogen in produce. In a large outbreak of illness in
Japan during 1997, the source of infection was traced to radish sprouts.
Subsequent research indicated that the pathogen could be located in an
intracellular location, or within stomata, protected from washing and
pre-consumption sanitation steps.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=9546189

Work is underway now to examine if pathogenic E. coli can survive and
remain infective within leafy greens.

http://www.freshexpress.com/research/research.asp

Risk factors for pathogenic E. coli contamination include animal feces,
contaminated worker hands, contaminated irrigation or processing water
or contaminated dust.

Because of the multiple routes for fecal material to contaminate produce
with pathogens,  IMO, there remains a small risk to human health from
eating raw produce.  If someone has a weakened immune system, or wishes
to minimize risk of illness, cooking and pasteurization can be used to
reduce the risk.

Betsy Hilborn
7a NC


                                                                        
             <dmnorton@royalo                                           
             akfarmorchard.co                                           
             m>                                                      To 
             Sent by:                 "North American Fruit Explorers"  
             nafex-bounces@li         <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>         
             sts.ibiblio.org                                         cc 
                                                                        
                                                                Subject 
             12/12/2007 07:40         Re: [NAFEX] more E.coli           
             PM                                                         
                                                                        
                                                                        
              Please respond                                            
                    to                                                  
             dmnorton@royaloa                                           
             kfarmorchard.com                                           
             ; Please respond                                           
                    to                                                  
              North American                                            
             Fruit Explorers                                            
             <nafex@lists.ibi                                           
                blio.org>                                               
                                                                        
                                                                        




We are a small batch facility....400 gallons to the batch.   We use do
use
drops from time to time.  All of our apples are sanitized before packing
or
using for cider and we pasteurize our cider, plus wash our sealed room
cider
mill with bleach between each batch, so we have no e-coli issues.
Anyone
who serves cider to the public and does not use sanitation procedures is

asking for a problem!

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com