title: Comparison of a Four-Section Spindle and Stomacher for Efficacy of Detaching Microorganisms from Fresh Vegetables.
abstract: This study was undertaken to compare the effect of the spindle and stomacher for detaching microorganisms from fresh vegetables. The spindle is an apparatus for detaching microorganisms from food surfaces, which was developed in our laboratory. When processed with the spindle, food samples were barely disrupted, the original shape was maintained, and the diluent was clear, facilitating further detection analysis more easily than with stomacher treatment. The four-section spindle consists of four sample bag containers (A, B, C, and D) to economize time and effort by simultaneously processing four samples. The aerobic plate counts (APC) of 50 fresh vegetable samples were measured following spindle and stomacher treatment. Correlations between the two methods for each section of the spindle and stomacher were very high (R(2) = 0.9828 [spindle compartment A; Sp A], 0.9855 [Sp B], 0.9848 [Sp C], and 0.9851 [Sp D]). One-tenth milliliter of foodborne pathogens suspensions was inoculated onto surfaces of food samples, and ratios of spindle-to-stomacher enumerations were close to 1.00 log CFU/g between every section of the spindle and stomacher. One of the greatest features of the spindle is that it can treat large-sized samples that exceed 200 g. Uncut whole apples, green peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes were processed by the spindle and by hand massaging by 2 min. Large-sized samples were also assayed for aerobic plate count and recovery of the three foodborne pathogens, and the difference between each section of the spindle and hand massaging was not significant (P > 0.05). This study demonstrated that the spindle apparatus can be an alternative device for detaching microorganisms from all fresh vegetable samples for microbiological analysis by the food processing industry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, and Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Kyun
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, and Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Ji
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, and Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Republic of Korea; Institutes of Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, 232-916, Republic of Korea. Kang7820@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Dong-Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002212:Capsicum / Q000382:microbiology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005511:Food Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000382:microbiology; D014675:Vegetables / Q000382:microbiology*