CAUSES OF DECAY OF FRESH-CUT CELERY

A decay of fresh-cut celery (Apium graveolens) segments stored at < 5 degrees C in sealed film bags began with a water soaking of the cut su rfaces. Slimy moisture accumulated inside the bags. The segments water soaked completely, softened, discolored and sometimes disintegrated. Total aerobic bacterial populations isolated from decayed segments ran ged from log(10) 7.0-7.7 CFU/g tissue weight. The predominant bacteria , identified by fatty acid analysis as Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. marginalis, caused water soaking, soft rot, and discoloration in fresh ly inoculated celery tissues stored at 5 or 25 degrees C. Leuconostoc mesenteroides was also isolated and may have been responsible for slim e production.