[ilovetv]

I just read that even more expensive apple juice such as bought in organic specialty markets.......can have a higher level of Patulin spores than does a "brand name" such as the Price Chopper Apple Juice. I always used to buy MOTTS but due to the fact they had none on their shelves, and the grandbabies were coming, I got the store brand that one time only.........never again. It was so gross, I cannot get myself to drink apple juice again. I even wonder if our Vermont apple cider could have it.

"Unpasteurized apple cider and juice have been associated with outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 infection, cryptosporidiosis, and salmonellosis (1-4). Animals are the primary reservoir for the pathogenic organisms associated with these outbreaks. In particular, cattle, deer, and sheep can asymptomatically carry E. coli O157:H7 and Cryptosporidium, and many animals, including cattle, chickens, and pigs, can asymptomatically carry Salmonella.

Although the exact mechanisms of contamination for these previous outbreaks were not clearly determined, in three of the outbreaks, manure was suspected to have contaminated the apples. For example, in an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in 1993, drop apples were collected from trees adjacent to an area grazed by cattle whose stool contained Cryptosporidium (3), and in a salmonellosis outbreak in 1974, drop apples had been collected from an orchard fertilized with manure (4).

The practice of using drop apples for making apple cider is common (2), and apples can become contaminated by resting on ground contaminated with manure. In an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in 1991 (2), the cider press operator also raised cattle, and cattle grazed in a field adjacent to the mill. The presence of animals near a cider mill can result in manure inadvertently contacting apples, equipment, or workers' hands. In addition, apples can become contaminated if transported or stored in areas that contain manure, or if rinsed with contaminated water.

These previous outbreaks of illness prompted recommendations to reduce the risk for producing contaminated cider, including 1) preventing the introduction of animal manure into orchards, 2) avoiding use of apples that have fallen to the ground, 3) washing and brushing apples before pressing, 4) using a preservative such as sodium benzoate, and 5) routine pasteurization."


Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection and Cryptosporidiosis Associated with Drinking Unpasteurized Apple Cider

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection and Cryptosporidiosis Associated with Drinking Unpasteurized Apple Cider -- Connecticut and New York, October 1996