The Survival of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> Strains in Ready-to-Eat Fruit Purees under Different Storage Temperatures
Maria Belén Bainotti,
Pilar Colás-Medà,
Inmaculada Viñas,
Salvador Garza,
Isabel Alegre
Affiliations
Maria Belén Bainotti
Postharvest Biology and Technology Unit, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Science, University of Lleida, AGROTECNIO-CERCA Centre, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Pilar Colás-Medà
Postharvest Biology and Technology Unit, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Science, University of Lleida, AGROTECNIO-CERCA Centre, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Inmaculada Viñas
Postharvest Biology and Technology Unit, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Science, University of Lleida, AGROTECNIO-CERCA Centre, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Salvador Garza
Postharvest Biology and Technology Unit, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Science, University of Lleida, AGROTECNIO-CERCA Centre, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Isabel Alegre
Postharvest Biology and Technology Unit, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Science, University of Lleida, AGROTECNIO-CERCA Centre, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Salmonella enterica, known for its resilience to acidic environments, has been linked to foodborne outbreaks of illness from fruit derivatives. This study aimed to assess the survival of five serovars of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica in various fruit purees subjected to different storage temperatures. Among the studied serovars, S. enteritidis exhibited the most significant population decrease in all fruit purees. In contrast, S. Agona, S. Gaminara, S. Michigan, and S. Montevideo survived in peach puree at 4 °C for at least 3 days, and S. Agona, S. Gaminara, and S. Montevideo maintained their initial levels in pear puree under the same time/temperature conditions. However, none of the strains were detectable in plum and black currant purees after 2 days at 4, 15, or 25 °C. These findings highlight variations in the behaviour of S. enterica serovars within different fruit purees. Likewise, low-temperature conditions prolonged the survival of the tested strains in all fruit purees analysed.
