MICROFLORA CHANGES IN MISTED AND NONMISTED BROCCOLI AT REFRIGERATED STORAGE TEMPERATURES

Plate counts of three groups of microorganisms [aerobic plate count (APC), coliforms (C), and yeast and mold (Y/M)] were determined in misted (M), nonmisted in the same cold room (SNM), and nonmisted in a different cold room (DNM) broccoli stored at 4 ± 1C for five days. Relative humidity of the cold rooms, moisture content of the broccoli, and microbial quality of the misting water were also determined. Two‐way ANOVA indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between M, SNM and DNM treatments. Misting was found to minimize the increase in plate counts of the three microorganism groups monitored. Higher relative humidity in the misted samples compared with the nonmisted samples, the washing effect of the misting water and possible residual chlorine effects due to the use of chlorinated tap water may explain the reduced viable counts observed in the misted samples.