Food Safety
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • NEWS
  • Latest News
  • White Papers
  • TOPICS
  • Contamination Control
  • Food Types
  • Management
  • Process Control
  • Regulatory
  • Sanitation
  • Supply Chain
  • Testing and Analysis
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Food Safety Five Newsreel
  • eBooks
  • FSM Distinguished Service Award
  • Interactive Product Spotlights
  • Videos
  • MORE
  • ENEWSLETTER >
  • Store
  • Sponsor Insights
  • ENEWSLETTER >
  • Archive Issues
  • Subscribe to eNews
  • EMAG
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issues
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
NewsContamination ControlFood TypeSanitationSupply ChainMicrobiologicalBiofilm ControlCleaners/SanitizersProduceGrowers/GAPs

Researchers Warn Polymers Used on Machine Harvesters Harbor Microbes, Pose Food Safety Risk

hand holding blueberries on farm

Image credit: Joshua Woroniecki via Unsplash

August 7, 2023

A recently concluded project funded by the Center for Produce Safety has collected information about, validated, and evaluated the efficacy of the cleaning and sanitation practices for harvest equipment among blueberry harvesters and packers. The project was carried out from January 1, 2021–January 31, 2023 by researchers from the University of Georgia and Oregon State University.

The project was conducted in order to answer questions about the different practices that blueberry growers and packers have adopted to clean and sanitize harvesting containers, flats/crates, and machine harvesters, and whether such practices do not have equal efficacies in decontaminating harvesting equipment and utensils.

Using an electronic survey that was deployed in different U.S. states, the researchers collected information on the harvesting and sanitation practices currently used by blueberry growers and packers. Over 70 respondents from 13 different states responded. Approximately 3 percent of respondents reported never sanitizing their harvest containers, while 75 percent sanitized with varying frequencies About 2 percent of respondents never sanitized their machine harvesters, and the remaining 98 percent reported sanitizing harvesters after each use, once a day, or once a week.

Next, the efficacies of current industry cleaning and sanitation practices were verified by measuring the microbial load on the surface of blueberry harvest containers and machine harvesters before and after the cleaning/sanitation treatments. Four fresh blueberry packing facilities—two in Georgia and two in Oregon—participated in the study. Each facility was randomly visited twice on two separate packing days during the 2021 harvest season. In Georgia, ten independent swab samples were collected each from used berry lugs, cleaned/sanitized lugs, used handpicking buckets, or cleaned/sanitized buckets, for a total of 160 samples. In Oregon, swab samples of used and cleaned/sanitized flats were collected along with those from used and cleaned/sanitized picking buckets, for a total of 160 samples.

On average, the used lugs and used buckets from the Georgia facilities had significantly higher total aerobes and total yeast and molds counts, but not higher total coliforms counts, than their respective cleaned/sanitized lugs or buckets. The used picking buckets from the two Oregon facilities had significantly higher mean total aerobes, yeasts and molds, and total coliform counts than the cleaned buckets. However, the used flats only had significantly higher yeasts and molds counts than the cleaned flats.

Approximately 1.3 percent of the Georgia samples tested positive for fecal coliforms and 3.8 percent of the samples tested positive for enterococci. For the Oregon samples, 3.8 percent were positive for fecal coliforms and 10.6 percent were positive for enterococci.

Finally, in a laboratory experiment, the researchers identified whether key industry cleaning and sanitizing practices can effectively remove microbial buildups and biofilm mass on materials used to manufacture harvest containers and mechanical harvesters. High-density polyethylene samples, the material used to manufacture harvest containers and picking buckets, were tested for their ability in supporting bacterial accumulation and biofilm formation by five different strains of Escherichia coli isolated from fruits, blueberry packing lines, or machine harvesters. The efficacies of cleaning and sanitizing treatments—specifically, soap, sodium hypochlorite, or water; with soaking or no soaking and with manual or machine washing—in removing the biofilms on selected materials were also determined.   

Results of the biofilm formation assay showed that soaked high-density polyethylene samples had less biofilm mass than unsoaked coupons, simulated manual washing removed less biofilm mass than simulated machine washing, and that treatment with hand soap removed more biofilms than the treatment with sodium hypochlorite.

The researchers caution that, due to labor and production constraints, growers are transitioning to the use of modified machine harvesters, which often use soft elastic polymer sheets to cover hard surfaces such as catch plates to reduce physical damage to harvested fruits. However, the polymer sheets pose a potential food safety hazard, as they are hydrophobic and likely encourage a higher level of microbial buildup on machine surfaces.

Using their findings, the researchers distributed the knowledge gained to berry growers and packers to promote best industry practices for widespread adoption. The researchers suggest that a multilingual education program based on the results of the study would help improve the food safety knowledge of personnel working in the blueberry field and packing facilities.

KEYWORDS: blueberries Center for Produce Safety cleaning and sanitation harvest study

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Methods
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Facilities
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Management
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

Food Safety Five Ep. 11: New Foodborne Illness Data and Research From CDC

Food Safety Five Ep. 11: New Foodborne Illness Data and Research From CDC

Food Safety Five Ep. 9: Major Changes at FDA, CDC, USDA Under Trump Administration

Food Safety Five Ep. 9: Major Changes at FDA, CDC, USDA Under Trump Administration

Food Safety Five Ep. 12: New Sanitation and Growth Prediction Methods for Listeria

Food Safety Five Ep. 12: New Sanitation and Growth Prediction Methods for Listeria

Food Safety Five Ep. 10: Scientific Advancements in Listeria Knowledge and Detection

Food Safety Five Ep. 10: Scientific Advancements in Listeria Knowledge and Detection

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

Image of Tyson Foods logo and the logos of Tyson Foods brands

Tyson Foods is Reformulating Food Products to Eliminate Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes

USDA building.jpg

More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer

Woman reading the warning label on a bottle of wine

A 40-Year Hangover: Efforts to Revive 1980s Advocacy About the Potential Negative Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Events

May 12, 2025

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

May 13, 2025

Traceability Next Steps—Supply Chain Implementation

Live Streaming from the Food Safety Summit: Join us for this engaging and highly practical workshop focused on building and sustaining traceability efforts across the food supply chain. 

May 13, 2025

Effective Sanitation Basics

Live Streaming from the Food Safety Summit: This dynamic workshop will help participants understand the sanitation process, effective monitoring, use of data streams, and root cause analysis basics.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • variety of dairy products

    Study Shows Avian Flu Does Not Pose Food Safety Risk in Various Pasteurized Dairy Products

    See More
  • swallow (bird) on a branch

    Researchers Developing Food Safety Risk Assessment for Wild Birds in Agriculture

    See More
  • man drinking glass of water

    Toxicity is Unknown for One Pervasive Contaminant in U.S. Drinking Water, Researchers Warn

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • August 29, 2024

    Understanding and Addressing Biofilm Communities and Behavior in the Food Plant

    On Demand: In this webinar, speakers with expertise in industry food safety, sanitation, and genomics will provide education on the formation and behavior of biofilms and the challenges they pose to food safety and sanitation operations.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!