into the sound issues of fruits may occur,
depending on the food and mycotoxin.
Proper selection, watching, and sorting of
fruits is the most important factor in the
reduction of mycotoxin contamination dur-
ing the production of fruit juices. However,
the processing of foods does not result in the
complete removal of mycotoxins (Drusch
and Ragab, 2003).
Use of recirculated water is not recom-
mended for washing fruits and vegetables
because of the contamination caused
through a rapid buildup of microorganisms
in the wash water. The effectiveness of chlo-
rination of the wash water is minimal
because bacterial spores exhibit resistance to
chlorine. The benefit of chlorinated water
for re-circulation is further reduced through
absorption of free chlorine and subsequent
neutralization by the accumulated organic
content of the water. However, the rinsing of
lettuce with common household sanitizers
such as distilled water, apple cider vinegar
(5%), lemon juice (13%), bleach (4%), and
white vinegar (35%) can reduce aerobic bac-
terial populations by averages of 0.6, 1.2,
1.8, and 2.3 log/g, respectively without
severely affecting sensory attributes (Vijayaku-
mar and Wolf-Hall, 2002).
Sanitary construction considerations
A well-designed processing plant does not
eliminate microbial infiltration unless the
design incorporates hygienic features, such as
easy-to-clean areas and equipment with
optimal cleaning features and instructions. If
the processing plant is newly constructed,
expanded, or renovated, functional layouts,
mechanical and plumbing layouts, and
equipment and construction specifications
should be reviewed by all professional per-
sonnel associated with the processing organ-
ization-mechanical engineers, industrial
engineers, food chemists, microbiologists,
sanitarians, and operations personnel. This
approach permits integration of operating
procedures and process control (frequently
calledquality control).
Construction of new and expanded fruit
and vegetable processing plants must reflect
hygienic design because most of today’s
plants are volume-oriented. High-volume
plants operate under the principle that
greater capacity is attained through pushing
more materials through a larger-capacity
production pipeline. With increased mecha-
nization, there has been less emphasis on
manual cleaning and visual inspection, and
more reliance on a cleaning-in-place (CIP)
system. However, there is still limited use of
CIP equipment in fruit and vegetable pro-
cessing plants, except in the manufacture of
juices. This concept also incorporates more
emphasis on mechanized startup and shut-
down of production equipment and cleaning
and sanitizing equipment. This approach
provides less opportunity for human error
but also reduces the possibility of spotting a
performance error in cleaning.
High-volume processing plants, by design,
operate with longer production periods and
much greater product volume flow than do
lower-volume plants. There is much more
microbial buildup in the plant because of the
longer dwell time and larger volume output.
To reduce the microbial buildup, safe levels
should be set by a saturation device that
senses the buildup, stops production, and
triggers an automatic cleaning procedure. It
is suggested that this device would be acti-
vated only under excessive buildup, such as
150% of normal conditions.
Sanitary design features are necessary to
minimize downtime for cleaning and steriliz-
ing. The need for maximum utilization of
equipment and facilities and for minimum
discharge of sewage has mandated that the