Food Protection Trends - May/June 2024 - 242

Gu et al. (44) inoculated greenhouse-grown tomato
plants with Salmonella and evaluated the effects of pesticide
(acibenzolar-S-methyl, PAA, copper hydroxide, and
streptomycin sulfate) solutions on the pathogen's growth
and survival in both whole and ground leaves up to 9 days
after inoculation. Two days after inoculation, PAA and
streptomycin sulfate reduced Salmonella levels on tomato
leaves by approximately 5.0 and 4.0 CFU/g, respectively.
At 2 days postinoculation, copper hydroxide application
reduced Salmonella populations by 6.3 CFU/g in ground
tomato leaves. At 6 and 9 days postinoculation, no significant
differences in Salmonella populations were observed with any
of the pesticide solutions. Although these experiments were
performed on contaminated plants, similar effects would be
expected, based on the findings of Lopez-Velasco et al. (71),
if Salmonella-contaminated water were used to create pesticide
solutions. Although agrochemical effects have not been
a major focus in produce-related agricultural water research,
agrochemical concentrations, especially in environmental
runoff or agricultural surface irrigation runoff (tailwater)
blended with other water sources, could play a role in the
contamination of agricultural surface water sources.
CONCLUSION
Agricultural water is used in various ways before and after
and planting and harvesting activities. Use of agricultural
water that is " safe and of adequate sanitary quality for its
REFERENCES
1. Acheamfour, C. L., S. Parveen, F. Hashem, M.
Sharma, M. E. Gerdes, E. B. May, K. Rogers,
J. Haymaker, R. Duncan, D. Foust, M. Taabodi,
E. T. Handy, C. East, R. Bradshaw, S. Kim,
S. A. Micallef, M. T. Callahan, S. Allard, B.
Anderson-Coughlin, S. Craighead, S. Gartley,
A. Vanore, K. E. Kniel, S. Solaiman, A. Bui,
R. Murray, H. A. Craddock, P. Kulkarni, R.
E. Rosenberg Goldstein, and A. R. Sapkota.
2021. Levels of Salmonella enterica and
Listeria monocytogenes in alternative irrigation
water vary based on water source on the
eastern shore of Maryland. Microbiol. Spectr.
9:e0066921.
2. Allard, S. M., M. T. Callahan, A. Bui, A. M.
C. Ferelli, J. Chopyk, S. Chattopadhyay, E. F.
Mongodin, S. A. Micallef, and A. R. Sapkota.
2019. Creek to table: Tracking fecal indicator
bacteria, bacterial pathogens, and total
bacterial communities from irrigation water
to kale and radish crops. Sci. Total Environ.
666:461-471.
3. Antaki, E. M., G. Vellidis, C. Harris, P. Aminabadi,
K. Levy, and M. T. Jay-Russell. 2016.
Low concentration of Salmonella enterica and
generic Escherichia coli in farm ponds and
irrigation distribution systems used for mixed
produce production in southern Georgia.
Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 13:551-558.
4. Astill, G., T. Minor, and S. Thornsbury. 2019.
Changes in U.S. produce grower food safety
practices from 1999 to 2016. Food Control
104:326-332.
5. Badgley, B. D., F. I. M. Thomas, and V. J.
Harwood. 2011. Quantifying environmental
reservoirs of fecal indicator bacteria associated
with sediment and submerged aquatic
vegetation. Environ. Microbiol. 13:932-942.
6. Baker, C. A., G. Almeida, J. A. Lee, and K.
E. Gibson. 2021. Pathogen and surrogate
survival in relation to fecal indicator bacteria
in freshwater mesocosms. Appl. Environ.
Microbiol. 87:e0055821.
7. Belias, A., L. K. Strawn, M. Wiedmann, and
D. Weller. 2021. Small produce farm environments
can harbor diverse Listeria monocytogenes
and Listeria spp. populations.
J. Food Prot. 84:113-121.
8. Bell, R. L., J. A. Kase, L. M. Harrison, K. V.
Balan, U. Babu, Y. Chen, D. Macarisin, H. J.
Kwon, J. Zheng, E. L. Stevens, J. Meng, and E.
W. Brown. 2021. The persistence of bacterial
pathogens in surface water and its impact on
global food safety. Pathogens 10:1391.
9. Bell, R. L., J. Zheng, E. Burrows, S. Allard, C.
Y. Wang, C. E. Keys, D. C. Melka, E. Strain,
Y. Luo, M. W. Allard, S. Rideout, and E. W.
Brown. 2015. Ecological prevalence, genetic
diversity, and epidemiological aspects of
Salmonella isolated from tomato agricultural
regions of the Virginia Eastern Shore. Front.
Microbiol. 6:415.
10. Benjamin, L., E. R. Atwill, M. Jay-Russell,
M. Cooley, D. Carychao, L. Gorski, and R. E.
Mandrell. 2013. Occurrence of generic Escherichia
coli, E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. in
water and sediment from leafy green produce
farms and streams on the Central California
coast. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 165:65-76.
11. Bihn, E. A., C. D. Smart, C. A. Hoepting, and
R. W. Worobo. 2013. Use of surface water in
the production of fresh fruits and vegetables:
A survey of fresh produce growers and their
water management practices. Food Prot.
Trends 33:307-314.
12. Bland, R. 2021. History of produce safety.
United Fresh Produce Association, Washington,
D.C. Available at: History of Produce
Safety 1-4-21.pdf (unitedfresh.org). Accessed
28 March 2023.
13. Bradford, S. A., V. L. Morales, W. Zhang, R.
W. Harvey, A. I. Packman, A. Mohanram, and
C. Welty. 2013. Transport and fate of microbial
pathogens in agricultural settings. Crit.
Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43:775-893.
intended use " is the paramount requirement of the FDA's
proposed agricultural water requirements (subpart E) of
the PSR. Because agricultural water has long been known to
pose a contamination risk to produce crops, monitoring the
microbial quality of this water is a core element of produce
growers' food safety programs. Human pathogens have been
detected in numerous studies of waterbodies on U.S. produce
farms and in the surrounding watersheds. Watersheds in
produce-growing regions tend to have higher human pathogen
detection rates than do on-farm waterbodies. Of public
health concern is human pathogen persistence in agricultural
water, because contamination of this water increases the
likelihood of produce contamination when this water is used
on crops. Research has provided a better understanding of
the roles that plants, agrochemicals, and sediment play in
the persistence of pathogens in water and the potential ways
these roles could be exploited to improve agricultural water
quality. As the produce industry awaits the finalization of
PSR subpart E requirements, producers are moving ahead in
their efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the
science related to assessing and effectively managing microbial
hazards that pose a risk to the food safety and adequate
sanitary quality of agricultural water.
242 Food Protection Trends May/June
http://www.unitedfresh.org
Food Protection Trends - May/June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May/June 2024
