Microbial Water Quality

Bacterial populations inhabiting pharmaceutical grade water systems were investigated over a fifteen year period. The systems analyzed were mains water, purified and Water-for-Injection (WFI). Samples of water were tested by membrane filtration and the samples cultured using R2A agar. Culture based methods and phenotypic identification methods were used to characterize the isolates. The research was undertaken to produce an in-depth study of the microbiota of pharmaceutical grade water systems. The results presented act as a benchmark for industrial and pharmaceutical microbiologists to review comparable systems against, as well as to present a review of the typical culturable microorganisms recoverable from pharmaceutical water systems.

The microbial quality of fifteen pre was analyzed. The distribution of the bacterial isolates were (100%), Pseudomonas spp 13 (86.67%), 6 (40%).The fungi isolates were distributed as follows: Fusarium spp 8 (53.33%) and Saccharomyces cerevisae 1.40 ×10 5 to 2.70 ×10 5 cfu/g, while the total coliform count ranged from 0.33 ×10 Staphylococcal aureus count was 6.0×10 ranged from 2.67×10 3 to 5.67×10 3 . are recommended in order to avoid risks associated with the consumption of contaminated fruits.

Background: The rapid population growth coupled with massive infrastructure development in the city of Lusaka has resulted into the extensive use of contaminated ground water leading to adverse health effects on human health. Aim: This study was conducted to assess the levels of microbial contamination in boreholes water in Libala South of Lusaka District. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Libala South Township involving 64 households. Households were randomly sampled using stratified systematic method. Borehole water samples were collected, and analyzed for microbial contamination at the Food and Drugs Laboratory, Lusaka. The samples were tested for the presence of coliforms and Escherichia coli bacteria by using Colitag™ testing kit and the confirmation was done using multiple tube fermentation method. Results: The study revealed that 31% and 48.5% of the boreholes were contaminated with Escherichia coli and coliforms, respectively. Conclusion: Almost half of the borehole water in Libala South is contaminated with harmful bacteria and poses a public health risk to the residents who opt to use it for drinking and cleaning foods.

Microbiological quality control of pharmaceutical water systems is of importance in ensuring that trends in contamination are detected and responded to. This is not least because water is a niche environment for many types of microorganisms and a vector for their transfer. Trending relates to actual microbial counts recorded, incidents and the types of species recovered. To facilitate species identification, microorganisms need to be subcultured from the isolation medium (Reasoner’s 2A (R2A) agar in Europe). Transfer onto the wrong media can result in the microorganism not growing. This paper describes research into three different media for subculturing: low nutrient (R2A); highly nutritious (tryptone soya agar) and medium nutrient (R3A) and concludes that a higher recovery is obtained where R3A agar is used.

Increasing human population coupled with their daily activities has continued to impact on the quality of surface and underground water bodies. Hence, the need to assess the portability of some major sources of drinking water. In the study, the two major sources of drinking water (Hand dug wells and boreholes) within Amai Kingdom, one of the major growing communities in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, and currently hosting Novena University Campus, where analysed microbiologically to ascertain their portability. A total of 60 water samples were collected from the available boreholes and hand dug well sited within the five major quarters in Amai town, namely Umuekum, Umubu, Amai-Nge, Ishikaguma and Umuosele, and analysed for total heterotrophic microbial (bacterial and fungal) counts, coliforms and faecal coliforms using standard plate count and most probable number (MPN) techniques. The results where compared with WHO standard for drinking water sources. The mean total heterotrophic bacterial counts (THBC) were found to range from 8.0 x 10 1 – 6.4 x 10 3 cfu/ml for borehole water samples and 1.9 x 10 2 – 2.5 x 10 4 cfu/ml for well water samples. The total heterotrophic fungal counts (THFC) ranged from 0-2.0 x 10 2 cfu/ml and 0 – 6.0 x 10 2 cfu/ml respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that the THBCs were significantly higher (p<0.05) in well waters than in borehole water samples. Coliforms were present in all the water samples examined up to levels of 9-26 MPN/100ml, while a few borehole and entire well waters samples demonstrated positive results to faecal coliform test. The dominant bacterial genera encountered were sp. and Pseudomonas sp., while the fungal isolates were Penicillium sp. and Rhizopus sp. Comparing the findings with zero coliform count per 100 ml of water samples according to WHO standard for portable water, suggest that the microbial qualities of drinking waters from some borehole and majority of hand dug wells in Amai Kingdom are poor and possess threat to public health. Hence, simple water treatment method such as boiling, regular disinfection and cleaning of borehole storage vessels or tanks as well as general public education on proper disposal of sewage are recommended in the study area.

Microbiological risks are ever present with water systems; risks can arise through poorly maintained water generation systems; through badly designed distribution networks (such as the presence of deadlegs); or at user outlets (where ineffective tubing management can lead to contamination). Weaknesses in water systems are exacerbated by microorganisms being ubiquitous and varied in their ability to survive and grow under different conditions. This means that the monitoring of pharmaceutical grade water systems for bioburden is important. This article assesses the different approaches that can be taken for the microbiological assessment of pharmaceutical water systems, examining both cultural based methods and alternative methods, arguing that rapid methods offer significant advantages

Microbiological health risks are major concerning issue in all over the world. Almost all the major water bodies (lake/khal) particularly in the urban or semi-urban area have been suffering severely pollutions. Therefore if we manage to safe our surface water in and around the city, we can reduce the demand of ground water for the city dwellers by the proper use or these lakes and ponds. This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial quality of Hatirjheel in Dhaka City. The selected water samples were examined for the concentration of total viable bacteria, salmonella, shigella,E.coli, klebsiella, total fungi, Vibrio cholerae species, identify zooplankton and analyze some physiocochemical parameters in Hatirjheel, Dhaka city. The microbial analysis was performed to trace the presence of organisms and pathogens such as E.coli, salmonella, shigella, klebsiella and Vibrio spp. etc. According to observation total viable bacteria (2.0×10 6 cfu/100ml), fungi (3.4×10 2 cfu/100ml), klebsiella (3.0×10 2 cfu/100ml), salmonella (2.0×10 2 cfu/100ml), Pseudomonas (8.3×10 2 cfu/100ml), Vibrio cholera (6.0×10 2 cfu/100ml.) was isolated. The findings of the study and the presented data is preferred that the water is not safe for human health and also indicate that this water is vulnerable for diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, shigellosis, salmonellosis, parasitic worm infection, hemolytic uremina syndrome, hepatitis and gastroenteritis. The microbial quality of the water was poor, suggesting contamination of the lake water by domestic and industrial wastes and other anthropogenic activities. So it is important to control the pollution for proper use of this water in various purposes.

The overall quality, anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of minimally fresh processed arils of the sweet 'Mollar of Elche' pomegranate cv. (Punica granatum, Punicaceae), harvested at two different dates, and stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 5 • C was assessed. Hand extracted, chlorine disinfected, rinsed and dried pomegranate arils were exposed to 0.56, 1.13, 2.27, 4.54, 9.08 or 13.62 kJ/m 2 UV-C radiation doses. Minimally fresh processed arils were packed in polypropylene baskets (125 g each), sealed on the top with bioriented polypropylene to generate a passive MAP, and stored up to 13 or 15 days at 5 • C. The respiration rate of fresh processed arils was higher in the late harvested than in earlier harvested fruit. The UV-C radiation did not significantly affect the respiration rate of fresh processed arils. Unclear results were obtained on the effect of the UV-C radiation on the microbial growth of minimally processed arils. Some of the applied UV-C treatments reduced mesophilic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid and Enterobacteriaceae counts. However, microbial counts were not systematically reduced throughout the shelf life. In addition, UV-C treated arils showed higher bacterial counts in a few cases. Yeasts and moulds were unaffected by the UV-C treatments. The limit of visual quality acceptance to consumers was reached after 14 days in arils from earlier harvested fruit and after 10 days in late harvested. In this latter case, the end of the shelf life according to sensory quality was coincident with the end of the shelf life according to the Spanish microbial legal limit. The harvest date of the pomegranates will affect several quality parameters for minimally fresh processed arils at the end of their shelf life.

Supply of safe drinking-water is world-wide considered to be an important issue for public health safety and must
be the key objective of water supply systems. The aim of this research is to analyze the supply water quality in urban
water supply system of Bangladesh. This research was conducted in two Pourashava water supply systems namely
Barguna Pourashava and Faridpur Pourashava of Bangladesh. Some concerned chemical, biological and physical
parameters were tested for an initial assessment of the water quality of the source water. A total of ten ground water
based production well's water samples were examined in those two Pourashava. A total of nine samples, one from
each ward were collected form the entry point of the supply water to the user's house were analyzed for E. coli which
represented the quality of the piped water. A total of three water samples were collected from each of the ward for
microbiological (FC) quality analysis. Millipore microbiological field testing kits was used for E. coli testing, DR 2800
HACH spectrophotometer was used for determination of manganese, iron, and nitrate and Wegtech Digital Arsenator
was used for arsenic determination. Physical parameters were tested by HACH potable instruments. The light brown
yellowish color created an aesthetic problem among the water users of Barguna Pourashava. In addition, the fecal
contamination rate was very high. The findings of E. coli analysis of Barguna Pourashava supply water indicated that
11% have intermediate risk, 37% have high risk and 52% have very high risk considering the health. The water of the
production wells of Faridpur Pourashava has high concentration of the arsenic, iron and E. coli. The household's storage
water sample analysis result indicated that 48%, 44% and 7% have very high risk, high risk and intermediate risk from
the health point of view.

The overall quality, anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of minimally fresh processed arils of the sweet 'Mollar of Elche' pomegranate cv. (Punica granatum, Punicaceae), harvested at two different dates, and stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 5 • C was assessed. Hand extracted, chlorine disinfected, rinsed and dried pomegranate arils were exposed to 0.56, 1.13, 2.27, 4.54, 9.08 or 13.62 kJ/m 2 UV-C radiation doses. Minimally fresh processed arils were packed in polypropylene baskets (125 g each), sealed on the top with bioriented polypropylene to generate a passive MAP, and stored up to 13 or 15 days at 5 • C. The respiration rate of fresh processed arils was higher in the late harvested than in earlier harvested fruit. The UV-C radiation did not significantly affect the respiration rate of fresh processed arils. Unclear results were obtained on the effect of the UV-C radiation on the microbial growth of minimally processed arils. Some of the applied UV-C treatments reduced mesophilic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid and Enterobacteriaceae counts. However, microbial counts were not systematically reduced throughout the shelf life. In addition, UV-C treated arils showed higher bacterial counts in a few cases. Yeasts and moulds were unaffected by the UV-C treatments. The limit of visual quality acceptance to consumers was reached after 14 days in arils from earlier harvested fruit and after 10 days in late harvested. In this latter case, the end of the shelf life according to sensory quality was coincident with the end of the shelf life according to the Spanish microbial legal limit. The harvest date of the pomegranates will affect several quality parameters for minimally fresh processed arils at the end of their shelf life.

The primary objective of this study was to identify the influence of rainfall induced overflowed sewer on Tokyo Bay water quality. To attain the objective emphasis was given to numerical simulation using mainly E. coli and Adenovirus as an indicator. Due to difficulties in intensive monitoring, field study was done just 5 days in November 2007 after an antecedent rainfall. But that data was not sufficient to validate the numerical model. So to validate the model a secondary observation data of 2004 was used. The observation result during the present field study in 2007 was used only to understand the general trend and as a supportive data to discuss the research outcomes. From the observed data it was found that water quality parameters, water nutrients and pathogen level in the water column were highly affected after rainfall. After a storm effect the pathogen level in water column increased significantly and in most cases it surpluses the environmental quality standard for coastal water. Observed data after a rain event show a significant relative increase in the pathogen contamination in the Bay water, near to the mouth of Sumida River and adjacent area of STPs. The higher plume remains two to five days after the beginning of the runoff. There are many factors that play a role in the pathogen contamination at the mouth of the river. These include, but are not limited to, rainfall intensity, river flow, tidal level and wind direction and speed. Frequent sampling and intensive monitoring is required to characterize the dynamics and distribution of contaminants adequately. But that is virtually very difficult and nearly impossible. To avoid this, a three dimensional hydrodynamic, water quality model coupled with a pathogen model was used. The simulations were done with two nested domains. The first domain covers the whole bay (grid size was 2km) and the second domains for only Odaiba area using a higher resolution (grid size 100m) with 10 sigma layers. The model was calibrated and validated using observed secondary data. The model performs well in predicting pathogen plumes resulting from the stormwater discharges to the shore area of Odaiba. Field observations for Fecal Coliforms in storm water outfall plumes indicate that the model predicted pathogen concentrations are reasonable. The upper limits predicted by the model and those measured in the field are in good agreement. The model results show the typical two to three-day wet weather effect of stormwater discharges where as observed data shows that the effects remain longer in surface water. Storm induced discharge from river and pumping stations and influence of tide and current was identified as the dominant factor. The distributions and dynamics of pathogen were found very complex. Modeling result shows that high pathogen levels are not necessarily tied with amount of rainfall. Even in small precipitations, pathogen concentration can increase significantly. These kinds of results would be impossible to understand only from observation. The model successfully captured complex distributions of pathogen and helped our understanding of pathogens contaminations.

This paper reviewed aquatic ecosystem pollution with particular reference to pathogens in water, sediment and fish and their human health concerns. It highlighted the historical perspective of the relationship between microbes and humans regarding the "ranging war" between them, arising from the reckless exploitation of the biosphere by humans and the resultant "revolt" by microbes in the form of various pathogenic diseases that now plague mankind. Also highlighted are pathogens and diseases in both wild and cultured fish, citing reported cases in Nigeria to include Samonella, Shigella and Leptospira spp.,

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the barriers and opportunities that decentralized water governance regimes pose to effective microbial risk assessment and management for drinking and recreational water quality. The paper presents a case study of Canada (a country whose approach to water governance is among the most decentralized in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]) evaluating microbial governance approaches in British Columbia and Ontario. The analysis is timely for two reasons: (1) relatively little research has been conducted on microbial risk assessment and management from a governance perspective; the literature focuses largely on technical and methodological approaches (such as Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment [QMRA] or Water Safety Plans); (2) 15 years post Walkerton,– little research has examined the implementation of source water protection as a strategy to reduce microbial risk in recreational and drinking water in the context of decentralized water governance. A range of issues are considered, including how decentralized governance might enable or constrain microbial risk assessment and management practices, and how the relationships between decentralized and multi-level governance actors might further deepen the complexity of watershed management, particularly source water protection. The analysis indicates that decentralized water governance in Ontario and BC may contribute to difficulties in effectuating source water protection and other features of a multi-barrier approach. The most significant challenges, as identified by practitioners, relate to the fragmentation of land and water jurisdiction, regulation, institutions and mandates, particularly a lack of coordination (both regulatory and institutional) and limited clarity on roles and responsibilities. Building on this analysis, the paper suggests more effort is required to support proactive institutional arrangements, including: inter- and intra-agency communication across levels of government; master planning and other initiatives to move towards integrated policy development; flexible, responsive policy environments; a governance culture that fosters leadership and collaboration; and holistic problem framing and mobilization of interdisciplinary knowledge. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07011784.2015.1043648

Standard health-related microbial water testing relies on the culturability of Escherichia coli (E. coli) to estimate their numbers. Competitive PCR (c-PCR) offers the potential to estimate the E. coli level of a water source without culturing. The aim was to investigate the use of c-PCR reaction to detect and quantify, without prior enrichment, Escherichia coli in water samples. The E. coli malate dehydrogenase Mdh housekeeping gene was modified and used as an internal control and competitor DNA for the c-PCR. E. coli cell concentration equivalents ranging from 20 to 2 x 10 4 cells ml-1 could be quantified with the c-PCR. Fifty-three water samples from various sources were tested with the DNA extraction and c-PCR protocol. Due to PCR inhibition E. coli Mdh gene copies could only be determined for 20 of the 53 samples (38%). Of the 20 samples tested 15% gave comparable results for competitive PCR and culturable E. coli numbers; 55% obtained higher values with competitive PCR and 30% obtained higher values with the culture based experiments. The c-PCR successfully estimated E. coli numbers that gave comparable results with the culture based microbiological data obtained.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the microbial quality and associated health risk of raw milk stored at surrounding intermediaries of Hyderabad Pakistan. The microbial quality assessment of marketed raw milk was undertaking by evaluating 120 raw milk samples from selling points i.e. at farm level, dairies and retailer level each containing (n=40) samples in Hyderabad city. All samples were evaluated for total viable (TV), coliforms and yeasts-molds counts. TV Count appeared significantly (P<0.05) high in milk stored before sale at large dairy farms compared to that of milk at small dairy farms. Total count in dairy farms milk samples (1.08x10 5 ±3.27x10 3 cfu/ml) was comparatively lower than that of retailer shops (1.30x10 5 ±5.80x10 2 cfu/ml) and dairies (1.18 x 10 5 ± 6.56 x 10 2 cfu/ml). Moreover, total viable count of milk samples obtained from dairy farms and dairies was non-significant but significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of retailer shops. The average coliform count of retailer shops milk samples (5.06 x 10 4 ± 8.86 x 10 3 cfu/ml) was comparatively higher (P<0.05) than that of dairies (4.59 x 10 4 ± 6.91 x 10 2 cfu/ml) and dairy farm milk samples (4.24 x 10 4 ± 7.60 x 10 3 cfu/ml), respectively. While the coliform count in all milk samples of different intermediaries was significantly different (P<0.05) Int.

The overall quality, anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of minimally fresh processed arils of the sweet 'Mollar of Elche' pomegranate cv. (Punica granatum, Punicaceae), harvested at two different dates, and stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 5 • C was assessed. Hand extracted, chlorine disinfected, rinsed and dried pomegranate arils were exposed to 0.56, 1.13, 2.27, 4.54, 9.08 or 13.62 kJ/m 2 UV-C radiation doses. Minimally fresh processed arils were packed in polypropylene baskets (125 g each), sealed on the top with bioriented polypropylene to generate a passive MAP, and stored up to 13 or 15 days at 5 • C. The respiration rate of fresh processed arils was higher in the late harvested than in earlier harvested fruit. The UV-C radiation did not significantly affect the respiration rate of fresh processed arils. Unclear results were obtained on the effect of the UV-C radiation on the microbial growth of minimally processed arils. Some of the applied UV-C treatments reduced mesophilic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid and Enterobacteriaceae counts. However, microbial counts were not systematically reduced throughout the shelf life. In addition, UV-C treated arils showed higher bacterial counts in a few cases. Yeasts and moulds were unaffected by the UV-C treatments. The limit of visual quality acceptance to consumers was reached after 14 days in arils from earlier harvested fruit and after 10 days in late harvested. In this latter case, the end of the shelf life according to sensory quality was coincident with the end of the shelf life according to the Spanish microbial legal limit. The harvest date of the pomegranates will affect several quality parameters for minimally fresh processed arils at the end of their shelf life.

Strong evidence has recently been against the use of fecal coliforms as indicator organisms of fecal contamination in tropical waters due to their indigenous nature in pristine waters. There is a great need for the development of more rapid, accurate, and low-cost techniques for determining bacteriological water quality. Coliphages seem to be an excellent alternative. We have developed a method to analyze large volumes of pristine water, which we compared to a commonly used direct method. It involves the filtration of water through positively charged filters and a virus-elution step. The eluent is then mixed with culture medium, a host bacterium, and incubated. We sampled pristine tropical rivers, water collected from bromeliads (epiphytic vegetation), sewage-contaminated waters, and marine waters. Concentrations of indicator bacteria were higher than recommended levels for recreational waters, including bromeliad waters. Indicators levels were higher than in bromeliad waters than in sewage-contaminated rivers. Phages were isolated only from waters being used for recreational purposes and from sites known to be contaminated with domestic sewage, but not from pristine or bromeliad waters. These results suggest that there is a correlation between the presence of coliphages and fecal contamination. This further suggests that coliphages may be reliable indicators of fecal contamination in the environment.

Water fluorescence intensity in-situ is compared to its microbial water quality. • Fluorescence intensity correlates with E. coli numbers over seven-log range. • Portable fluorimetry can be an initial screening tool for microbial water quality.

The need for microbiologists to consider the constant and changing patterns of microorganisms found in water systems are varied. These reasons include the need [3]: a) To understand the most commonly occurring isolates which make up the micro flora in the different water systems and to see if there is any relationship between different grades of water. b) To build up such a picture so that, data can be compared and trended over subsequent years. c) To examine the type of microorganisms to see if the types are similar to those expected to be found in a water system. d) To take from the most commonly occurring isolates microorganisms to become part of a microbiological culture collection for future reference. e) To use the most commonly occurring microorganisms for media growth promotion testing (the periodic challenging of culture media by so-termed environmental isolates is an expectation of regulatory authorities under the auspices of Good Manufacturing Practice). f) To have the information in a format for trending, so that microbiologists and quality personnel can react to any changes to trends. Some or all of the above may be applicable, depending upon the pharmaceutical facility of the different reasons outlined, establishing a benchmark is important. This is not a task that, hitherto this paper, has been aided by literature. There are few published references as to the expected micro flora in processed water and even fewer that pertain to the pharmaceutical industry. The paucity of studies is the reason for developing this review: to enable microbiologists to compare and to contrast these findings when establishing their own similar reviews. As general guidance, water systems should be characterized at least annually, with some reference made to the typical and expected microorganisms every time an action level result is recorded from monitoring.

The study was conceptualized to assess the effect of somatic cell count on the quality of raw milk and soft-white cheese. Cow's milk was classified into normal (T1), trace (T2) and positive 1 (T3) based on the direct microscopic somatic cell count (SCC). Soft-white cheese was subjected to quality changes; such as physiochemical compositions: pH, titratable acidity, moisture content, total solids, protein and fat recovery; and total microbial count. Milk samples were subjected to quality analyses prior to cheese manufacture. All samples passed the alcohol precipitation and clot-on-boiling tests. Significant differences were observed on the pH, titratable acidity, moisture, protein, fat and total solids contents of cheese made from T1, T2 and T3 milk. Cheese from normal milk had the lowest titratable acidity from day 0 until day 11 indicating its good keeping quality. The high number of microbial counts even on the 0 day of storage has been observed in softwhite cheese made from high number of somatic cell. The findings of the study indicate that milk with elevated SCC could compromise the typical sensory quality of the product and could pass the standard quality assessment; however, the quality of the resulting product would be inferior from normal milk. It is recommended that SCC determination be included in the quality assessment protocol in the farm.

In order to investigate the ability of Fluorocult-supplemented TSC agar (TSCF (Fluorocult supplemented TSC-agar): prepared from Tryptose Sulfite Cycloserine Agar Base (Merck), D-cycloserine (Fluka Chemika, USA), and fluorocult TSC-Agar supplement (Merck)) for detecting spores of Clostridium perfringens in water, we analyzed groundwater samples, pretreated by heating to 80 jC/5 min, using this fluorogenic medium together with five other media: mCP agar (Panreac; Cultimed), TSC agar (Merck, Germany), TSN agar (Merck), and SPS agar (BBL, USA) by the membrane filtration technique, and Wilson -Blair agar (WB) following the still-in-force Spanish official method. Variance analysis of the data obtained shows statistically significant differences in the counts obtained between media employed in this work. The C. perfringens spore counts on mCP agar were significantly lower ( P<0.05) than the corresponding values of TSC, TSCF, SPS, and WB media. No statistically significant differences were found between C. perfringens spore counts on TSCF compared with those of other methods used. On the other hand, the identification of typical and atypical colonies isolated from all media demonstrated that fluorogenic TSC agar was the most specific medium for C. perfringens spore recovery in groundwater samples. Additionally, the results obtained indicate that mCP agar, which is the reference method in the European Union, is not suitable medium for recovering C. perfringens spores from groundwater samples. D

The overall quality, anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of minimally fresh processed arils of the sweet 'Mollar of Elche' pomegranate cv. (Punica granatum, Punicaceae), harvested at two different dates, and stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 5 • C was assessed. Hand extracted, chlorine disinfected, rinsed and dried pomegranate arils were exposed to 0.56, 1.13, 2.27, 4.54, 9.08 or 13.62 kJ/m 2 UV-C radiation doses. Minimally fresh processed arils were packed in polypropylene baskets (125 g each), sealed on the top with bioriented polypropylene to generate a passive MAP, and stored up to 13 or 15 days at 5 • C. The respiration rate of fresh processed arils was higher in the late harvested than in earlier harvested fruit. The UV-C radiation did not significantly affect the respiration rate of fresh processed arils. Unclear results were obtained on the effect of the UV-C radiation on the microbial growth of minimally processed arils. Some of the applied UV-C treatments reduced mesophilic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid and Enterobacteriaceae counts. However, microbial counts were not systematically reduced throughout the shelf life. In addition, UV-C treated arils showed higher bacterial counts in a few cases. Yeasts and moulds were unaffected by the UV-C treatments. The limit of visual quality acceptance to consumers was reached after 14 days in arils from earlier harvested fruit and after 10 days in late harvested. In this latter case, the end of the shelf life according to sensory quality was coincident with the end of the shelf life according to the Spanish microbial legal limit. The harvest date of the pomegranates will affect several quality parameters for minimally fresh processed arils at the end of their shelf life.