Hygienic-sanitary quality of ready-to-eat salad vegetables on sale in the city of Palermo (Sicily).

In recent years there has been an increase in the consumption of bagged prepared salad vegetables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of such vegetables in the city of Palermo (Italy). Forty samples of different salad vegetables were examined for the presence of mesophilic germs, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli O157, S. aureus, Giardia, Cryptosporidium. Variables considered included the presence of carrots, the atmospheric temperature of the day of purchase and of the two previous days, the expiry date, and the production site. The presence of carrots and of an atmospheric temperature above 20 degrees C (average of the three days considered) were found to be significantly associated with a high mesophilic germ count. This study highlights the need to implement good hygiene practices in order to prevent contamination and/or bacterial growth in ready-to-eat salad vegetables. Maintaining the cold chain and using vegetables of good microbiological quality were found to be especially relevant.