European experts have noticed the microorganism quality of water used in processing fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Water quality and its industrial use is a concern as poor quality can introduce harmful microorganisms in food products. There is also an issue of expected reduction in climate change and water availability.
Experts analyzed the microbial and physical-physical quality of water used during harvesting to process fruits, vegetables and herbs in industrial settings. He prepared a set of process water management plans and an online equipment to help improve such management systems. A water management strategy should contain verification, operational monitoring and verification.
Scientists followed the concept of “Fit-for-Purpose Water” developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This approach asks to consider various aspects, such as evaluation of water source and the final use of potentially related hazards, disinfection options and food products.
Recommendations are shared by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Three scientific opinions On freshly fruits, vegetables and herbs; On fresh-cut products, and on frozen products.
EFSA also developed an online tool to help predict the transfer and accumulation of bacteria in the water of the process in industrial landscapes. It works with predetermined or customized data using a mathematical model to simulate the scenarios and predict the effects of various strategies for water disinfection and replenishment. The app considers parameters such as volume and water replenishment, chlorine disinfectant concentration, wash the total volume of the product, and the total bacteria.
Maintaining water quality
As a part of the work, scientists analyzed the practices after European food companies, which and to maintain the quality of water used in the and haverest handling and processing operations.
During the post, the contamination of the procedure water contamination thearravest handling and processing operations are affected by many factors, including fruits, vegetables and herbs, processed, duration of operation, and transfer of microorganisms from the product and vice versa .
Data 61 was obtained from businesses. The effect without water treatment was evaluated in 17 scenarios, while in 44, the challenges of maintaining microbiological quality with water disinfection agents were examined, including chlorine, peroxycetic acid, and hydrogen peroxide. Hygienic practices include technical maintenance of infrastructure, training of staff and post inderradaryardareardary process cooling.
The findings highlighted that when no water disinfection treatment was used, Listeria monocytogen was detected, which was fresh and fresh and fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and herbs along the regions -Salmonella, pathogenic E. Fresh – cooked and found in frozen yield in some scenarios of coli and norovirus. Inadequate monitoring systems resulted in highly high or insufficient disinfectant concentrations in water, which, when very low, failed to adequately reduce the microbial load.
A literature review detected the tendency to focus on leafy greens, the use of chlorine – based disinfectant, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as primary physical comply chemical parameters, with total disrupted solid (TDS) and Turbidity To an extent, it is considered as an indicator. Of water quality.
Industry data indicated that variable operating cycle running between 8 and 900 hours in fresh, pale fruits, vegetables and herb sectors, large product volumes (eg more than 6,000 tons) and 25 ° C to 25 ° C (37 77 to 77 ° F).
Fresh, chopped fruits, vegetables and herb sectors have water process at cold temperatures, between 1 to 15 hours the operating cycle and the amount of product between 700 and 3,000 kg. There is no control of 8 and 120 hours in the respective frozen area, variable product versions and the water temperature of the process.
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