Safety Research on Heavy Metals, Pesticide Residues and Foodborne Pathogens for Commercial Salted Cabbages

In recent years, consumers have become more interested in convenient lifestyles, leading to increased use of salted cabbages for preparation of kimchi. This study aimed to investigate the safety of heavy metals, pesticide residues, and foodborne pathogens in commercial salted cabbages in Seoul from August to November, 2014. The survey, which was conducted to determine whether or not salted cabbages were prepared under the highest sanitary conditions, showed that Seoulites are interested in purchasing hygienic and safe salted cabbages. The average amounts (range) of Pb and Cd found in 30 salted cabbage samples were 0.007 (0.000~0.063) mg/kg and 0.004 (0.000~0.012) mg/kg, respectively. The cabbages were analyzed for residues from 285 types of pesticides using the multiresidue method. Residues for pesticides were not detected. Major foodborne pathogens, specifically Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens and Norovirus, were also not detected.