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Listeriosis outbreak in cantaloupes food factor 2011 project 2
1. Listeriosis Outbreak
in Cantaloupes
2011 Food Factor Robotics
PEGBOTS
FLL Team # 7056
2. The 2011 Listeriosis Outbreak
• The outbreak of Listeriosis in 2011 was one of
the worst food poisoning incidents in the US in
recent history.
• It resulted in 139 illnesses, 29 deaths and at
least one miscarriage.
• It points out the importance of food safety
procedures in harvesting, processing, storage,
transport and preparation of fresh produce.
3. Listeriosis: The Basics
• Listeria monocytogenes is the bacterium
• The 2011 outbreak is the first outbreak of
listeriosis in cantaloupes. Other outbreaks
have occurred in hot dogs, deli meats, and
Mexican-style soft cheese.
• One in five people who become ill with
listeriosis can die.
• The average age of those
affected is 78.
4. 2011 Outbreak: The Basics
• Known to be in cantaloupes.
• Previous outbreaks of illnesses from
cantaloupes have been linked to salmonella
or a norovirus (an RNA virus), and the
bacteria were usually from imported
cantaloupes.
• The current outbreak of listeriosis is
comparable to deadly outbreaks of e. coli
and salmonella.
5. How It All Started
• The cantaloupes came from Jensen Farms.
• Jensen Farms is located in Granada, Colorado.
• Jensen Farms bought equipment, previously
used to wash and dry potatoes, in July 2011.
The equipment most likely harbored the
bacteria before it was bought by Jensen
Farms.
• The bacteria probably also formed in the pools
of water on the floor of the processing plant.
7. Who Is Likely to Get Listeriosis?
• Pregnant women – 1 in 6 cases of listeriosis affect
pregnant women. However, the infants that are born
suffer much more severe symptoms – stillbirth, a life-
threatening illness, or other symptoms.
• People with AIDS are 300 times more likely to get
listeriosis than people with healthy immune systems.
• Others likely to get listeria: people with cancer,
diabetes, alcoholism, weak immune systems, or liver or
kidney disease.
• Other people can easily be infected with listeriosis, but
the effects will most likely be less severe.
8. How can a cantaloupe be infected with
the listeria bacterium?
• Listeria monocytogenes can form in the ground and in
standing water (i.e. ponds, puddles...).
• Some cantaloupes are washed in tanks or with sprays,
and cooled off with cold water. As this can make it
more likely for the listeriosis bacterium to grow on the
cantaloupes, some believe that the cantaloupes should
be cooled off with cold air and should not be washed in
water.
• The bacteria can grow at temperatures as low as 34°F
(1°C). Low storage temperatures slow, but do not stop
growth. Freezer temperatures of 0°F will stop it from
multiplying, but may not destroy it.
9. Where does listeria monocytogenes live?
• While living on a cantaloupe, Listeria
monocytogenes lives on the rind. The bacterium
is spread to the flesh, the part we eat, when the
cantaloupe is cut.
• While living inside a human’s body, the bacterium
can live practically anywhere. They are mainly
found in the brain and spinal cord (and in
pregnant women, the placenta, the organ which
connects a baby’s umbilical cord to the uterus).
• Surprisingly, they can live in white blood cells
called macrophages that are meant to destroy it.
10. What happens if listeria
monocytogenes is in your body?
• Blood or spinal fluid tests will be performed if you
think you have listeriosis.
• If you do have listeriosis, it will be treated with
antibiotics.
• Some people may eat contaminated cantaloupes,
but do not experience symptoms. Doctors say
that they do not need to be treated.
• One in twenty (1/20) people carry the bacterium
in their intestines. It does not affect them.
11. Our Solution
• Add an organic acid (e.g. lactic, citric or acetic
acid) to the wash water to lower the pH to less
than 4.5.
• Dry cantaloupes with air after washing to
prevent bacterial growth.
• Store cantaloupes in CO2 to keep the pH low
to kill Listeria and also to inhibit aerobic
organisms (mold, insects).
• We built a model of a produce washing
system.
12. At Home
• Wash the outside of your cantaloupe just
before cutting it. Use a vegetable brush.
• Make one slice, rinse the cut face to remove
bacteria that might be spread from the rind.
• Scoop out the insides to serve and throw away
the rind and seeds.
• Wash the knife, the cutting board and your
hands after handling the rind.
• Refrigerate the cut cantaloupe if you aren’t
going to serve it right away.
13. •Just before preparing
and serving, wash the
outside of your
cantaloupe in running
water.
•Use a vegetable brush
to remove dirt and
bacteria hiding in the
nooks and crannies of
the rind.
14. Our Experiment
We demonstrated how bacteria can be spread
from the rind to the flesh of a cantaloupe.
We put a line of blue food dye on the rind as a
safe surrogate for the bacteria.
We cut through the cantaloupe with a sharp
knife.
These photographs show how far the bacteria
can be spread with a single slice of the knife.
