Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/769560
32 JANUARY 15, 2017 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com M uch is still unknown about contamina- tion risks from pathogens in fruit pack- ing warehouses. Researchers across the country are working to learn more about the survivability of specific pathogens on different surfaces and how warehouses can improve processes to address the problem. Case in point: No one really knows how easily Listeria monocytogenes, a highly deadly soilborne pathogen, survives on fresh apples in storage and whether die off changes by type of storage — refrigerated atmosphere, controlled atmosphere (CA), or CA with ozone. Ozone, in particular, raises interesting questions, because it already has been shown to reduce microbes on surfaces in general, and there's been exponential growth of ozone use in storage warehouses industrywide over the past decade to alleviate fruit rot and pests. Researchers at Washington State University, in cooperation with the Washington State Tree Fruit Commission, aim to answer the Listeria die-off question for two apple varieties, Fuji and Granny Smith, in different storage situations. The goal is to provide information for apple producers about the fate of Listeria on apples during cold storage in commercial facilities and to develop an intervention method to control Listeria contamination on apples during cold storage. Initial findings were presented at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association annual meeting held in Wenatchee, Washington, in December. The study Led by Mei-Jun Zhu, WSU associate professor in the School of Food Science, the study exam- ined inoculated apples in both laboratory and warehouse settings, using Listeria inoccua, a non- pathogenic substitute for L. monocytogenes. In 2015, Zhu inoculated 560 Fuji apples with L. innocua and transported them to a Washington packing house, then she examined the apples for 18 weeks in three different types of storage: Targeting bacterial pathogens Cold storage may help with systems approach to ensure food safety for tree fruit. by Shannon Dininny Mei-Jun Zhu Rears Manufacturing Company 800.547.8925 A heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to the Washington Apple Education Foundation 2016 Friendraising Drive Monica Barragan of Wenatchee was the winning ticket holder for the WAEF benefit raffle prize: a 2017 Rears TTN Powerblast sprayer. Monica, at right, is pictured here with Mike Rear of Rears Manufacturing. Jennifer Wiggs of East Wenatchee took home the silent auction prize, a Rears OMF756 orchard flail. Jennifer's support helped to make the 2016 WSHA show a success for WAEF com- munity programs.