UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Course Name: Principles of Food Science and Nutrition

Course Code: 21AGT-209
Dr Reshu Rajput (E10479)
Name of lecture: Spoilage of Fruits & Vegetables

Department of Agriculture Sciences (UIAS)

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Campus: Gharuan, Mohali
 Foods affected by various groups

• Anaerobic or facultatively anaerobic sporeformers are most

likely to grow in canned foods .
• Microaerophilic bacteria are most likely to grow in vacuum
packed foods since they have low oxygen tension, while
• Aerobic bacteria are likely to grow on the surface of raw meat.
 Spoilage Signs
• Odor:
- Breakdown of proteins (putrefaction) e.g. “rotten egg”
smell
• Sliminess
- Primarily due to surface accumulation of microbial cells
- Also due to manifestation of tissue degradation
• Discoloration
- Mold on bread, blue and green mold on citrus
fruit and cheese
 Spoilage Signs…

• Souring
– Production of acid
e.g. sour milk from production of
lactic acid

• Gas formation
– Meat becomes spongy
– Swollen or bubbling packages and
cans
 SPOILAGE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

• The organism responsible for taints are acid tolerant bacteria

such as Lactobacillus spp.
• Deterioration can be caused by action of animals, birds, bruising,
wounding, cutting, other mishandling and growth of
microorganisms or environmental conditions.
• In jams and jellies yeasts and molds are more likely to cause
spoilage as compared to bacteria
• Microbial spoilage maybe due to:
– Plant pathogens acting on stems, leaves, flowers or roots
– Saprophytic organisms
• Types of spoilages:
– Baterial soft rot
• Caused by Erwinia carotovora, ferment pectins
• Pseudomonas marginalis, Bacillus and Clostridium cause
water soaked appearance, a soft, mushy consistency and
bad odour.
– Anthracnose
• Caused by Collectotrichum lindemuthianum.
• Spotting of leaves and fruits
– Black mold rot
• Caused by Aspergillus niger
• Dark brown to black masses of spores of the mold termed
as smut
• Rhizopus soft rot
– Caused by species of Rhizopus
– Soft and mushy rot
– Cottony growth of mold forms black spots of sporangia covering the
foods.
• Alternaria rot
– Caused by Alternaria tenuis
– Greenish-brown to brown black spots
• Fungal spoilage results in water soaked mushy areas, brown or cream
coloured areas. Rots of juicy fruits result in leakage.
• Downy mildew in fruits and vegetables is caused by Phytophthora
• Softness in pickles is caused by Penicillium
• Blue mold rot in fruits occurs due to Penicillium digitatum
• Watery soft rot which is commonly observed in Vegetables is
caused by Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum
• Grey mold rot in vegetables and fruits is caused by Botrytis
cinerea
• Pink mold rot in vegetables is caused by Tricothecium roseum
• Heat resistant mold present in canned fruits is Bassochlamys
fulva
• Flat sour spoilage of canned food is caused due to Bacillus
• Sulphur stink in cane sugar and can blackening is caused by
Clostridium nigrificans.
• Torulopsis is an yeast which chiefly causes spoilage of soft
drinks
 SPOILAGE OF CEREALS
• Moisture content above 12 to 14 percent may cause
spoilage of cereals
• Little moisture cause mold growth and high moisture may
cause growth of yeasts and bacteria.
• Microbial content, physical damage and temperature are
also some factors.
• Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Fusarium are
some common molds; produce mycotoxins.
• Acetobacter spp, lactics and Coliforms, Micrococci and
Bacillus are some species causing spoilage.
• Cause flour dough to develop an odour of acetic
acid and esters
• Ropiness of bread is common in bread
– Caused by bacterial species Bacillus subtilis, B.
licheniformis and other species
– First odour is evident, then discolouration and
finally softening of the crumb with stickiness.
• Serratia marcescens is responsible for red bread due to
the pigmentation. Molds such as Neurospora sitophila
and Geotrichum aurantiacum can also cause red
colouration.
• Endomycopis fibuligera is responsible for causing
chalkiness in bread.
• Breads and even other bakery products are more
spoiled by molds than bacterias
• Rhizopus stolonifer is known as bread mold
 SPOILAGE OF MILK
• An excellent medium
• Souring
– caused by Streptococcus lactis, Enterococci,
Lactobacilli, Micrococci
• Gas production
– caused by Coliform, Clostridium, Yeasts,
Bacillus
• Proteolysis
– cause bitter taste, caused by Bacillus, Micrococcus,
Proteus, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Serratia.
• Changes in colour and tastes
• Enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine is responsible for causing brown
colour in milk and bacteria Pseudomonas putrefaciens causes
brown colouration in milk
• Pseudomonas syncyanea is responsible for – Blue colour in milk
• Souring occurs when raw milk is stored at storage temperature of
10 to 37°C by Streptococcus lactis
• Yellow colour in milk is caused by- Pseudomonas synxantha
• Ropiness at the top of milk is Caused by - Enterobacter
• Aeromonas hydrophila is responsible for causing fishiness in
butter.
• Rind rot is a spoilage which is seen in cheese
• Lactobacillus plantarum is responsible for causing rusty spot
in cheese.
• Lactic acid bacteria are responsible for gas formation in milk.
• Burnt or caramel flavour in milk is caused by certain strains of
Streptococcus lactis var. maltigenes
• Black smudge in salted butter is caused by Pseudomonas
nigrifaciens.
• Escherichia coli causes unwanted gas formation in cheese
 SPOILAGE OF MEAT
• Raw meat is subject to spoilage by its own enzymes and
microbial action.
• Excessive autolysis can cause souring
• Species of Clostridium is responsible for causing
putrefaction in meat
• Factors involving spoilage include
– The greater gut load of animal
– The physiological condition of the animal during
slaughter as like fever, excited or fatigued.
– Rapid cooling
 Aerobic growth of molds may cause the following

• Stickiness: Incipient growth of molds makes the surface of the

meat sticky
• Whiskers: When meat is stored at temperatures near freezing,
a limited amount of mycelial growth may take place without
sporulations.
• Black spot in meat is caused by Cladosporium herbarum
• Green spot in meat are caused by the species of Penicillium
• Pink spots in meat are caused by Serratia marcescens
• To prevent the outbreak of a disease called as salmonellosis,
irradiation of meat is done.
• Oxidation of meat fat and butter fat makes them tallowy in
nature.
• Pseudomonas and Shigella can grow in the internal surface of
meat.
• Flat sour spoilage of canned foods is caused by Bacillus
 Spoilage of Egg
• Pseudomonas fluorescens is responsible for causing green rots in eggs.
• Proteus causes black colouration in eggs
• Sporotrichum species causes pink colouration in eggs
• Pseudomonas graveolens is responsible for causing mustiness in eggs
• Bacterias causes more spoilage in eggs than molds
• Actinomycetes is responsible for causing earthy or musty flavour in eggs.
• Species of molds which are responsible for causing spoilage of eggs are
Thamnidium, Mucor, Fusarium , Cladosporium etc
• The quality of egg is checked manually by seeing it through a lamp which is
called as candling.
 SPOILAGE OF FISH
• Spoiled by autolysis, oxidation or bacterial activity.
• Fishy flavour in fish is due to a chemical compound known as
trimethyl amine
• Under aerobic conditions
– Surface slime
• Caused by Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Alcaligens,
Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, Bacillus,
Micrococci.
– Change in colour of meat pigments
• Red colour, green,brown or grey
 – Change in fats
• Rancidity – oxidation of fats
• Lipolysis
- Phosphorescence
• Photobactererium spp growing on meat
Surface colours due to pigmentation
• Red spot caused by Serratia marcescens
• Chromobacterium gives a greenish blue colour
• Pseudomonas gives a bluish colour
 • Micrococcus or Flavobacterium gives a yellowish
colour.
• Pencillium may cause greenish colour.
• Cladosporium may cause black colour
- Off odours and Off tastes
• Taints, Souring, stale flavour can be caused as a result
of bacterial and fungal growth.
 References
• Potter, N. 1987. Food Science, CBS Publishers and
Distributors, Delhi.
• William C, Frazier and Dennis C westhoff, Food
Microbiology
• Modern Technology Of Food Processing & Agro Based
Industries (2nd Edn.), NIIR board.2003.  National Institute of
Industrial Research
• D R heldmen and R W Hart. 1997. Principles of food
processing.
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www.cuchd.in Campus: Gharuan, Mo