MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA ASSOCIATED TO STRAWBERRIES AND GOOSEBERRIES AT VARIOUS STAGES OF RIPENESS.

The lack of understanding about proper food manufacturing, transport, storage, and marketing methods has resulted in a high level of contamination with pathogenic bacteria that cause gastrointestinal disorders and induce drug resistance, which is a serious issue for the food sector. Due to their popularity as a fruit in the province of Imbabura, Ecuador, this issue has sparked a lot of interest in evaluating the quality and microbiological safety of strawberries and cape gooseberries at different ripening stages. According to bacteriological analyses, the microbiota of strawberries was dominated by Escherichia coli (1.61 x 10³ CFU/g) at ripeness stages 4 (three-quarters of the fruit has turned red) and 6 (red colour, they feel slightly soft when squeezed, ready to eat), while the microbiota of gooseberries was predominated by Enterobacter spp. (1.11 x 10² CFU/g) at ripe stage 6 (intense yellow, ready to eat). The differences in the physiochemical characteristics (pH, total solids, acidity) at the time of harvest results in a difference in some pathogenic bacteria's adaptation. The selected clones per each ripe stage showed multi-antibiotic resistance (MAR). The calculated MAR index varies from 0.17 to 1.00 and was ripe stage-, and fruit dependent. The most resistant clones were E. coli for strawberries and Enterobacter spp. for gooseberries. Thus, it is crucial to set up efficient control measures and develop coordinated strategies to guarantee the microbiological quality of these foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]