Conference digs into the science of spinach
Conference digs into the science of spinach
SEASIDE, CA -- About 200 people on or near the front lines of spinach science research congregated Sept. 24 for the International Spinach Conference, which was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay- Seaside, here.
Although discussion of food-safety and E. coli outbreaks in spinach were inevitable, the purpose of the conference was to give plant scientists an opportunity to interact, compare notes and share areas of study and progress.
The second day of the two-day event involved a bus tour to a Salinas Valley farm to observe harvest and planting demonstrations, a visit to the University of California Cooperative Extension (Monterey County) in Salinas -- a co- sponsor of the event -- and a visit to an area processing facility.
The California Spinach Growers Research Fund also was a co-sponsor of the conference.
Approximately 5 percent of the roughly 200 registered attendees were foreign, and about 75 percent of the attendees come from the tri-county area of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, said Steve Adams of Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods LLC and co-chairman of the conference's organizing committee.
Lead speaker Trevor Suslow, a microbiologist at the University of California- Davis, said that it is "hard to argue that E. coli and spinach are not forever [linked] in the mind of some of the public."
Dr. Suslow said that while spinach seeds are not a high-risk source of pathogens, they should be included in a systematic approach to researching pathogens. Accurate and predictive data on the fate of pathogens in diverse soils and conditions "remains to be developed."
Dr. Suslow also told the audience that it is risky in a harvest field to predict a single strain of E. coli but that understanding plant and pathogen interaction "will be important." He said that chlorine -routinely used in processing plants for bagged spinach and salads - "can drop coliform and E. coli counts."
Dr. Suslow talked about wild animal droppings -- such as from deer -- and their connection to E. coli outbreaks.
"Where there's deer, there's often mountain lions following," Dr. Suslow said. He quipped that it's hard to handle deer dropping samples in the field "and look over your shoulder at the same time."
Joe Pezzini, vice president of operations of Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms, rehashed details of the E. coli outbreak in spinach, the subsequent nationwide spinach recall in September 2006 and the impact on the leafy greens industry. He said that at the end of 2006, spinach sales were off by 35-40 percent industrywide compared with the end of 2005. Prior to the recall episode, spinach sales had been growing by around 4-5 percent per year. Industrywide sales on bagged and bulked spinach combined still are off perhaps as much as 15 percent, he said.
Mr. Pezzini said that there is a "raging debate" over good agricultural practices for the leafy greens industry between legislators on the one hand and consumer groups focused on environmental issues on the other. "As an industry, we're caught in the middle," Mr. Pezzini said, adding that farmers ultimately are good stewards of the land.
Mr. Pezzini also said that buyers of leafy green vegetables are demanding pathogen tests, but he noted that "ignores prevention practices in place."
Marita Cantwell of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California-Davis said that small pieces of broken spinach leaves that end up in packaged product "are particularly problematic since they tend to decay first during storage."
Ms. Cantwell said that spinach should be stored as close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit as possible to maintain quality and achieve expected shelf life. Detrimental changes in spinach composition -- such as decreases in chlorophyll, carotenoids and ascorbic acid -- are accelerated at higher-than- recommended storage temperatures. Treatment with 1-MCP -- an ethylene action blocker -- can benefit shelf life under temperature abuse conditions, she said.
Ms. Cantwell said that research has not shown atmosphere modification to be particularly beneficial for spinach, but neither is it damaging to spinach quality. However, she added that atmospheres containing more than 5 percent carbon dioxide are detrimental.
Steve Koike of the University of California Cooperative Extension (Monterey County) and member of the conference's organizing committee, said that a number of plant diseases affect spinach, and growers, pest-control advisors and other field personnel must constantly guard against these threats to spinach quality and yield.
Although discussion of food-safety and E. coli outbreaks in spinach were inevitable, the purpose of the conference was to give plant scientists an opportunity to interact, compare notes and share areas of study and progress.
The second day of the two-day event involved a bus tour to a Salinas Valley farm to observe harvest and planting demonstrations, a visit to the University of California Cooperative Extension (Monterey County) in Salinas -- a co- sponsor of the event -- and a visit to an area processing facility.
The California Spinach Growers Research Fund also was a co-sponsor of the conference.
Approximately 5 percent of the roughly 200 registered attendees were foreign, and about 75 percent of the attendees come from the tri-county area of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, said Steve Adams of Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods LLC and co-chairman of the conference's organizing committee.
Lead speaker Trevor Suslow, a microbiologist at the University of California- Davis, said that it is "hard to argue that E. coli and spinach are not forever [linked] in the mind of some of the public."
Dr. Suslow said that while spinach seeds are not a high-risk source of pathogens, they should be included in a systematic approach to researching pathogens. Accurate and predictive data on the fate of pathogens in diverse soils and conditions "remains to be developed."
Dr. Suslow also told the audience that it is risky in a harvest field to predict a single strain of E. coli but that understanding plant and pathogen interaction "will be important." He said that chlorine -routinely used in processing plants for bagged spinach and salads - "can drop coliform and E. coli counts."
Dr. Suslow talked about wild animal droppings -- such as from deer -- and their connection to E. coli outbreaks.
"Where there's deer, there's often mountain lions following," Dr. Suslow said. He quipped that it's hard to handle deer dropping samples in the field "and look over your shoulder at the same time."
Joe Pezzini, vice president of operations of Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms, rehashed details of the E. coli outbreak in spinach, the subsequent nationwide spinach recall in September 2006 and the impact on the leafy greens industry. He said that at the end of 2006, spinach sales were off by 35-40 percent industrywide compared with the end of 2005. Prior to the recall episode, spinach sales had been growing by around 4-5 percent per year. Industrywide sales on bagged and bulked spinach combined still are off perhaps as much as 15 percent, he said.
Mr. Pezzini said that there is a "raging debate" over good agricultural practices for the leafy greens industry between legislators on the one hand and consumer groups focused on environmental issues on the other. "As an industry, we're caught in the middle," Mr. Pezzini said, adding that farmers ultimately are good stewards of the land.
Mr. Pezzini also said that buyers of leafy green vegetables are demanding pathogen tests, but he noted that "ignores prevention practices in place."
Marita Cantwell of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California-Davis said that small pieces of broken spinach leaves that end up in packaged product "are particularly problematic since they tend to decay first during storage."
Ms. Cantwell said that spinach should be stored as close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit as possible to maintain quality and achieve expected shelf life. Detrimental changes in spinach composition -- such as decreases in chlorophyll, carotenoids and ascorbic acid -- are accelerated at higher-than- recommended storage temperatures. Treatment with 1-MCP -- an ethylene action blocker -- can benefit shelf life under temperature abuse conditions, she said.
Ms. Cantwell said that research has not shown atmosphere modification to be particularly beneficial for spinach, but neither is it damaging to spinach quality. However, she added that atmospheres containing more than 5 percent carbon dioxide are detrimental.
Steve Koike of the University of California Cooperative Extension (Monterey County) and member of the conference's organizing committee, said that a number of plant diseases affect spinach, and growers, pest-control advisors and other field personnel must constantly guard against these threats to spinach quality and yield.
