Abstract
Vegetables are potential vehicles for the transmission of parasites. Helminth eggs have been detected in produce in various countries around the world, with high prevalence rates. However, there is no standard validated method or ISO to the isolation, concentration, and identification of helminth eggs in salad vegetables, which makes comparison difficult since each study utilized different analytical methods and food matrix. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a previously described methodology developed for the recovery of Ascaris sp. eggs in two different leaf greens under real conditions of use, through the simultaneous application of the same method by ten different laboratories. This is the first collaborative inter-laboratory trial by several laboratories across Brazil. Lettuce and arugula samples artificially contaminated with A. suum eggs were analyzed by various laboratories to determine the recovery efficiency of Ascaris sp. eggs. A final mean recovery efficiency of 57.10% for Ascaris sp. eggs in lettuce and 50.7% in arugula was identified. The methodology applied in this study can be used to evaluate Ascaris sp. eggs in vegetables. It is reasonably easy, fast, and efficient in comparison with other methods. The identification of helminth eggs in fresh vegetables using a reliable methodology is important if the microbiological safety of these foods is to be improved.
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Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful to Márcia Dimov Nogueira, Gina Maria B. Q. Cardozo, Etianne M. Sasso, Marlene Tiduko Ueta, Silmara M. Allegretti, Juliana do Rocio C. Ribeiro, Guilherme Lopes Gonçalves, Caroline de Almeida Rossi, Lídia Berenice Chasin, Rosangela Oliveira Delmindo, and Thelma Constantino de Assis who gave their support in their inter-lab analyses of lettuce and arugula.
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Carolina Ortiz Pineda: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, and writing (original draft preparation).
Diego Averaldo Guiguet Leal: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, writing (original draft preparation), and supervision.
Roberta de Lima: investigation, data curation, and writing (original draft preparation).
Amanda Rodrigues: investigation and data curation.
Patricia Padilha Ribeiro: investigation and data curation.
Maria Helena Martini: investigation and data curation.
Regina Célia Arantes Stancari: investigation and data curation.
Flaviane Cristina Lopes Matosinhos: investigation and data curation.
Julio César Miné: investigation and data curation.
Juliane Araújo Greinert-Goulart: investigation and data curation.
Suelen Cristina Grott: investigation and data curation.
Lucia Maria Guedes Diefenbach: investigation and data curation.
Beatriz Araújo: investigation and data curation.
Regina Maura Bueno Franco: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, writing (original draft preparation), and supervision.
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Carolina Ortiz Pineda declares that she has no conflict of interest. Diego Averaldo Guiguet Leal declares that he has no conflict of interest. Roberta de Lima declares that she has no conflict of interest. Patricia Padilha Ribeiro declares that she has no conflict of interest. Amanda Rodrigues declares that she has no conflict of interest. Maria Helena Martini declares that she has no conflict of interest. Regina Célia Arantes Stancari declares that she has no conflict of interest. Flaviane Cristina Lopes Matosinhos declares that she has no conflict of interest. Júlio César Miné declares that he has no conflict of interest. Juliane Araújo Greinert-Goulart declares that she has no conflict of interest. Suelen Cristina Grott declares that she has no conflict of interest. Lucia Maria Guedes Diefenbach declares that she has no conflict of interest. Beatriz Araújo declares that she has no conflict of interest. Regina Maura Bueno Franco declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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Pineda, C.O., Leal, D.A.G., de Lima, R. et al. Parasites in Fresh Produce: a Brazilian Inter-laboratory Evaluation of a Standardized Methodology for the Detection of Ascaris sp. in Leafy Vegetables. Food Anal. Methods 14, 989–996 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-020-01925-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-020-01925-x