Preventing Foodborne Pathogens With Plant-Derived Compounds with Karl Matthews

<p>Karl Matthews, Ph.D., Professor of Microbial Food Safety at Rutgers University, discusses ways to eliminate pathogens like <em>Salmonella</em>, <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 and <em>Listeria</em> from fresh fruits and vegetables. He highlights the importance of preventative measures from farm to table, including the use of water antimicrobials, like chlorine, and photosensitizers, like curcumin.</p> <p>Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/6Wkef9RyUVE</p> <h2>Ashley's Biggest Takeaways</h2> <ul> <li>We consume billions of microorganisms in the food that we eat each day.</li> <li>Fresh fruits and vegetables that are not thermally processed are likely to carry a higher microbial load than cooked foods.</li> <li>Many of those microbes are not concerning to human health. However, when pathogens of human health concern are present, the food can become unsafe to eat.</li> <li>Scientists use many methods from pre-harvest through post-harvest to keep food free of human pathogens.</li> <li>Water a...