Datta, AshimWu, YuezhiSpringer, Lindsay2018-05-102018-05-102018-05-10https://hdl.handle.net/1813/57072Our study quantifies the amount of E. coli transfer among broccoli, conveyer belt and glove material. The paper also examines contacting surface area between conveyer belt and broccoli when broccoli is naturally laying on flat polyester conveyer belt. We used GPF labeled E. coli (ATCC 25922) to make our inoculum in substitute of pathogenic E. coli. All inoculum used was at around CFU/ml. The mean E. coli transfer rate between broccoli and conveyer belt are 0.01% (E. coli transferred from broccoli to conveyer belt) and 0.2% (E. coli transferred from conveyer belt to broccoli). The mean E. coli transfer rate between broccoli and glove are 0.01% (E. coli transferred from both broccoli stem and crown to glove), 3% (E. coli transferred from glove to broccoli stem) and 10% (E. coli transferred from glove to broccoli crown). The mean contacting area of broccoli with conveyer belt is 3 per 25g broccoli on 100 conveyer belt. This is the first study of E. coli transfer rate between broccoli and various surfaces that broccoli would likely to encounter in a small farm harvesting setting. The results provide step stones for constructing quantitative food risk analysis model for broccoli harvest.en-USCC0 1.0 Universalbroccoli harvest risk, E. coli transfer rate, glove, conveyer belt, broccoli contacting surface area with conveyer belt, quantitative food risk analysisdissertation or thesis