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Bioaerosol formation during grape stemming and crushing.
Journal article

Bioaerosol formation during grape stemming and crushing.

  • Zollinger M Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur, Department of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Technikumstrasse 9, Postfach 805, CH-8401 Winterthur, Switzerland.
  • Krebs W
  • Brandl H
  • 2005-06-30
Published in:
  • The Science of the total environment. - 2006
Aerosols
Air Microbiology
Air Pollutants
Fermentation
Flow Cytometry
Gram-Negative Bacteria
Particle Size
Time Factors
Vitis
English Indoor formation of airborne particles during pre-fermentation grape processing was assessed by particle counting using laser particle sizers. Particle numbers of four different aerodynamic size classes (0.3 to 0.5 microm, 0.5 to 1 microm, 1 to 5 microm, and >5 microm) were determined during unloading of harvest containers and subsequent grape stemming and crushing. Regarding these size classes, composition before grape handling was determined as 87.9%, 10.4%, 1.7%, and 0.1%, respectively, whereas the composition changed during grape handling to 50.4%, 15.2%, 33.0%, and 1.5%, respectively. Airborne bacteria and fungi originating from grape processing were collected by impactor and liquid impinger samplers. Grape handling resulted in a sixfold increase in total (biological and non-biological) airborne particles. The generation of bacterial and fungal aerosols was associated mostly with particles of aerodynamic diameters>5 microm (mainly 7 to 11 microm) as determined by flow cytometry. This fraction was increased 150fold in relation to background levels before grape crushing. Maximum concentrations of culturable bacteria reached 485,000 colony forming units (cfu/m3), whereas 146,000 cfu of fungi and yeasts were detected per cubic meter of air. Culturable Gram-negative bacteria occurred only in small numbers (180 cfu/m3). In relation to the total number of airborne particles emitted, culturable microorganisms comprised 0.1% to 0.2%. As soon as grape crushing was stopped, particle concentrations decreased rapidly either due to passive settling or due to air currents in the occupational indoor environment reaching background levels.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/19726
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