The scientific committee of the Belgian Food Chain Agency (AFSCA) has published an opinion on microbiological safety when storing tomatoes and cut onions at room temperature.
He concludes that issues such as PH will also be decisive along with the degree of maturation of the products, the variety, the handling conditions, and of course the temperature and the time variable.
It could not be clearly demonstrated that storing tomatoes and cut onions at room temperature (16 – 29°C) rather than below 7°C for 4 to 6 hours does not pose an increased risk to food safety. Simulations of potential growth were performed for Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes.
In short, a brief temperature fluctuation of 3 °C upwards in the product is not accepted as safe storage.
Click to access Avis10-2023_SciCom2022-13_temperaturedeconservationlegumesdecoupes.pdf
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