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Abstract
Peaches are susceptible to foodborne pathogen contamination during pre-harvest cultivation and post-harvest handling. Hence, the microbiological quality of air in peach orchards was evaluated. Further, the hygiene and sanitation efficiency of peach packing houses was also determined. In air samples at the peach orchards (n=9), there was a moderate correlation between coliform populations and bile (r=0.64). For the two tested packinghouses, sanitation programs at both packinghouses were most effective against coliform populations with an average reduction in population of 0.89±0.73 log MPN/cm2 and 0.80±0.94 log MPN/cm2 for packinghouse 1 and 2, respectively. The most contaminated surfaces were sorting cups and washer/waxer brushes. Peptones from different sources were evaluated for capture buffer (CB) preparation during air sampling. Bacto™ Malt Extract showed the highest retention (3.44 ± 0.23 log CFU/cm3) and stability of airborne Escherichia coli K12. The results highlight the importance of monitoring hygiene during peach cultivation and packing.