Bacteriological safety of sprouts: A brief review

The germination process causes changes in the chemical composition of seeds that improves the nutritional value of sprouts, while decreasing their microbiological safety, since the germination conditions are ideal for bacterial growth as well. This review explores the bacteriological safety of sprouts and their involvement in foodborne illness outbreaks, worldwide. Additionally, approaches to improve the shelf-life and microbiological safety of sprouts are discussed. According to the literature, sprout consumption is associated with more than 60 outbreaks of foodborne illness worldwide, since 1988. Alfalfa sprouts were most commonly involved in outbreaks and the most commonly implicated pathogens were Salmonella and pathogenic Escherichia coli (especially, Shiga toxin producing E. coli). In the pre-harvest stage, the implementation of good agricultural practices is an important tool for producing high-quality seeds. In the post-harvest stage, several methods of seed decontamination are used commercially, or have been investigated by researchers. After germination, seedlings should be kept under refrigeration and, if possible, cooked before consumption. Finally, microbiological analyses should be performed at all stages to monitor the hygiene of the sprout production process.