Dear GMO,
So do apples need pasteurisation before eating?
Answer - It depends on what you know about the apple
eg -
D CONTROL (fresh fruits)SummarySignificant hazards - Bacteria: E. coli O157:H7, salmonellae
Protozoa, parasites, viruses: Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, hepatitis A virus, roviruses.
Mycotoxins: Patulin in apples (Pen. expansum), aflatoxin in figs
(Asp. flavus), ochratoxin A in grapes (Asp. carbonarius).
Control measuresInitial level (H0) Avoid hazardous agricultural practices.
Avoid applying untreated or improperly treated manure in fruit orchards: treat manure to kill bacteria before it is used as fertilizer.
Keep contaminated irrigation water away from fruits.
Use potable or treated water for washing and processing fruits.;
Avoid using dropped or windfall fruits.;
Discard badly bruised or rotten fruits immediately.;
Assure microbiological safety and quality of fresh fruit by good agricultural practices and proper handling on the farm, and effective processing and handling at packinghouses and during shipment and subsequent marketing.
Reduction (ΣR) Few measures are available other than sorting and washing to reduce hazards.
Increase (ΣI) Minimise increase by appropriate storage.
Train workers to wash their hands properly and make sure they have access to toilets.
Keep packing facilities clean and free of pests.
Testing Routine microbiological testing of fruit is not recommended.
Aerobic colony counts may be useful to monitor effectiveness of processing on the microbial populations.
E. coli may be used as an indicator of faecal contamination.
Equipment hygiene may be monitored using rapid tests such as ATP.
Spoilage Spoilage of most fruits is caused by fungal growth. Most of the practices preventing food safety hazards will also prevent spoilage.
As mentioned already, the apple juice pasteurisation issue in USA exploded due to several major incidents.
And yr question was also an important one, ie how much of the problem from source or production ? probably both.
few links -
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs124http://www.foodsafet...d=1786&sub=sub1http://www.inspectio...tra/codee.shtmlRgds / Charles.C