PREVALENCE OF GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM FRUIT AND VEGETABLES RETAILED IN ADANA PROVINCE

Abstract

In this study, 65 samples of fresh products (leafy vegetables, ready-to-eat mixed salads, and fruits) retailed in Adana province of Turkiye were investigated for presence of Gram-negative bacteria. Salmonella spp. was undetected in any samples. However, Klebsiella pneumoniae (22%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (15%), Citrobacter freundii (11%), E. coli (11%), Klebsiella oxytoca (11%), Acinetobacter spp. [A. baumannii, A. pittii, (7%)], Pseudomonas putida (7%), were the predominant microorganisms and were detected in (19/65) 29.2% of samples by MALDI-TOF system. Their bacterial counts were between 3.6 and 8.3 log CFU/g. Strains of Enterobacter ludwigii (4%), Delftia lacustris (4%), Burkholderia cenocepacia (4%), and Burkholderia vietnamiensis (4%) were less detected. Our results revealed the fruits and vegetables produced in Adana province generally comply with microbiological criteria of the Turkish Food Codex interms of Salmonella spp., but higher bacterial counst of E. coli (between 5.8 and 6.3 log CFU/g) was found. Besides, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species could be risky to human health.