Microbiological Analysis of High Value Vegetables Grown on Biodegradable Cellulose Hydrogel

Abstract

Vegetables have increasingly been implicated in outbreaks of foodborne pathogens, raising concerns over the safety of fresh produce and leading to substantial economic losses globally. Alternative cultivation systems such as soilless agriculture are being explored to mitigate the risk of microbial contamination while ensuring sustainable production. This study evaluated the microbiological quality of high-value vegetables including tomato, chili, cucumber, lettuce, and kale grown using biodegradable cellulose hydrogel under varying formulations. Fresh samples were collected from 24 hydrogel treatment combinations, including different hydrogel concentrations (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%), combinations with topsoil, and varying irrigation intervals (1, 2, 4, and 6 days). Aerobic mesophilic bacterial counts ranged from 0.33 to 4.67 log cfu/g across all treatments, while Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in any samples. Lettuce exhibited the highest coliform counts, followed by kale and cucumber. Notably, the combination of 40% hydrogel with 60% topsoil and a 4-day irrigation interval yielded the lowest microbial loads across vegetable types. The findings indicate that the use of biodegradable cellulose hydrogel in vegetable cultivation can effectively minimize microbiological contamination while reducing water use, highlighting its potential as a sustainable alternative for high-value vegetable production.