Microbiological Evaluation of Vegetable Sprouts and Seeds

Microbiological analyses of commercial sprout seeds indicated aerobic plate counts (APC) and confirmed coliforms ranging from < 30 × 10² to 40 × 10³ and from 0 to > 11 × 10³/g, respectively. Fecal coliforms were detected in the range from 7.3 to 11 × 10²/g; Listeria or Salmonella were not detected. Seeds, pregerminated in potable water (16-18 h, 20-22°C), contained an APC ca. 1 logarithm higher than the corresponding dry seeds. Increased levels of confirmed and fecal coliforms were also detected as a result of soaking. The APC of retail sprouts ranged from 3.6 × 10³ to 3.7 × 10⁹/g. All samples contained confirmed and fecal coliforms. Coagulase positive staphylococci were detected in ca. 24% of samples analyzed.