Objective: To investigate the microbial contamination in dried fruit products in China.
Methods: In 2019, 2917 samples of dried fruit products on the market were collected, and examined for aerobic bacterial count, coliforms, molds, yeasts, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes according to the method specified in GB 4789.
Results: A total of 34.42%(1004/2917)of the samples had molds above 50 CFU/g and 9.46%(276/2917)of the samples had yeast above 50 CFU/g. The occurrence of aerobic plate count above 10~4 CFU/g and coliforms above 10~2 CFU/g was 5.01%(146/2917)and 2.98%(87/2917), respectively. The detection rate of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were 0.14%(4/2917) and 0.03%(1/2917), respectively. Microbial contamination in different kinds of dried fruit products varied widely, with dried wolfberries and dried durian having the worst overall hygiene. There were differences in microbial contamination of dried fruit products in different regions. In general, samples collected in South China, Southwest China and Central China had more serious microbial contamination. There was no significant difference in microbial contamination between dried fruit products with different packaging and sampling places.
Conclusion: The hygienic condition of dried fruit products is generally poor in 2019.
Keywords: aerobic plate count; coliforms; dried fruit products; foodborne pathogenic bacteria; microbial contamination; molds; yeasts.