Scientists from the Universitat de València have analized fresh orange juices prepared with the machines in bars and restaurants and have proved that the 43% of the samples exceeded the Enterobacteriaceae stated by law. The researchers recommend to thoroughly wash the oranges and the machines to handle them, to serve the juice immediately and avoid storing it in the bar counters.
Almost a 40% of the fresh orange juice drunk in Spain is served in bars and restaurants. Nevertheless, according to a research the wrong handling of oranges and the lack of cleanliness of the machines used for that favor the bacterial contamination of the final product. The research team has collected 190 lots of squeezed oranges from different bars and restaurants and has analized their microbiological contents. The results disclosed that a 43% of the samples exceeded the Enterobacteriaceae level stated by the Spanish and EU regulations, and a 12% exceeded the limit of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms.
They have also seen in 1 and 0’5% of cases respectively Staphylococcus aureos and some kinds of Salmonella, according to the data published in the journal Food Control.
‘In general, some of the orange juices are consumed immediately, but in many occasions the juices already prepared remain in metal bar counters without any protection’, notices Isabel Sospedra, one of the research’s authors. The researchers have proved that the juices remaining in metal bar counters show ‘unacceptable’ levels of Enterobacteriaceae in the 81% of the cases, and a 13% show mesophilics. But when the juice is served in a glass the percentage is reduced to the 22 and 2% respectively.
Last update: 14 de december de 2011 09:59.
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