Microbial quality, safety and marketability of fresh-cut fruits in selected supermarkets and wet markets in Los Baños and Calamba, Laguna

Date

6-2016

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Food Technology

Major Course

Major in Food Science

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Katherine Ann C. Israel

Restrictions

Restricted: Not available to the general public. Access is available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser and only to those bound by the confidentiality agreement.

Abstract

"Fresh" or "minimally processed" fruits and vegetables are products that have been cut, washed, packaged, and maintained with refrigeration. Fresh-cut fruits do not undergo further processing to ensure safety of the product. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality and safety of fresh-cut fruits available in some selected supermarkets and wet markets in Los Baños and Calamba, Laguna. Based on the results of microbial analyses, fresh-cut fruits from supermarket are more acceptable and safe than wet market. No counts on Total Plate Count exceeded the microbial limit. For the yeasts and molds, one sample from Los Baños wet market exceeded the microbial limit (1.02 x 105). All the counts for the coliform from the wet market and three of the samples from the supermarket exceeded the limit. The highest count was observed from Calamba wet market (9.3 x 104). Low microbial counts obtained from supermarket suggests that proper handling is done to ensure that the final product are of high quality without risking the safety of consumers. The market status of fresh-cuts fruits were also evaluated using a survey. Odds ratio was used to determine the probability of buying fresh-cuts. The young (20-35 years old), men, not single (married and widowed), many no. of household (7-12), and high income (P26,000-P50,000) have higher chances of buying fresh-cut fruits. Five hundred respondents were asked about their preference regarding fresh-cut fruits, 71% of the total respondents said that they buy fresh-cut fruits. Those who do not buy fresh-cut fruits said that this type of food has a poor quality/not fresh. From the remaining respondents who buy fresh-cut fruits, 209 buy in supermarkets. Less wasted was the reason market goers buy fresh cuts. Melon was the most preferred fruit. Most of the respondents only buy ½ kilo of fresh-cut fruits per week and spend less than P100 per week. Most important thing considered by respondents when buying was the quality of fresh-cut fruits. Different parameters related to the processing of fresh-cut fruits was observed and evaluated on different supermarkets and wet markets. A checklist was used for the evaluation. From the checklist, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure for fresh-cut fruits was developed to serve as guide to processors.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2016 F61 /S23

Document Type

Thesis

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