s found that green tomatoes are more resistant to Salmonella infection than red, ripe ones.With fresh produce increasingly linked to gastroenteritis outbreaks, researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences wanted to learn more about what physiological, ecological, and environmental factors affect Salmonella’s ability to colonize fruits and vegetables pre- and post-harvest.
They tested red and green tomatoes from multiple fields harvested at different times in the hope of pinpointing variables in irrigation levels, fruit water congestion, and crop and pathogen genotypes.
Ultimately, they found that red, ripe tomatoes were significantly and consistently more conducive to proliferation of Salmonella, along with tomatoes harvested in the driest, sunniest season.
The study’s findings were published in December in the journal PLOS ONE.
