Infiltration studies will help identify the actual risk factors involved in potential pathogen infiltration into an individual fruit. Juice analyses will identify impact of surface condition and treatment on the ultimate microbiological quality of the fruit. Results will be reported on the basis of fruit surface area or per fruit. Fruit diameters will be measured with a micrometer so that total surface area can be estimated using the formula for the surface area of a sphere. Samples will be pourplated with plate count agar, orange serum agar and acidified potato dextrose agar to yield total aerobic plate count, aciduric count and yeast and mold count, respectively. Fruit will be handled using latex gloves during all phases of the experiment. During unloading at a commercial processing facility, fruit will be randomly selected and packed in a cooler for transport to the Citrus Research & Education Center in Lake Alfred. Evaluation will include both sound and culled fruit. Comprehensively evaluate fruit surface microflora of juice oranges commercially used for production of unpasteurized juice. A preliminary schedule for all investigations is included that outlines workplans for the proposed two years. Project Methods Experimental methods aligned against each experimental objective are discussed in detail below.

This research will directly impact an industry with almost $10 billion in consumer sales, and provide information from which science-based food safety regulations can be formed.

To both fresh and processed juice producers regarding the potential for further food-borne illness associated with citrus juice. Successful completion of this project, which will extensively evaluate the microbial contamination of oranges entering a juice extraction facility over the course of 2 fruit seasons, will provide data Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who is charged with ensuring the safety of fresh juices, has little actual data available to assess the extent of these risks. However, it is clear that fresh juice presents a potential food safety risk, and the U.S. Consumers of fresh juice also use it as a convenient way to help meet government health recommendations for Americans to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh juice is preferred by some consumers who view it as a more natural product with superior flavor characteristics. In most of these cases, the juice was consumed in a fresh (non-pasteurized) form. Non Technical Summary In the last 5 years, a number of high profile cases of food-borne illness have been linked to the consumption of fruit juices, particularly apple and orange juices.

Citrus juices