# Ready-to-Use Vegetable Salads: Physicochemical and Microbiological Evaluation
## 1 Introduction  
People's eating habits are influenced by the population's lifestyle, and it seems that nowadays, life is much more hectic with people having less free time; therefore, ready-to-use products are more and more preferred [1; 2]. Ready-to-use products do not require additional preparation before being consumed and can be found on the market in a wide variety, like fresh-cut fruits, salads and vegetables, cooked meat and poultry, smoked/salted seafood, smoked/salted meat, and dairy [1]. Ready-to-use vegetable salads are minimally processed products [3], by sorting, cutting, washing/disinfection, rinsing, centrifugation, packaging in air or a modified atmosphere, refrigeration and transport, which are finally consumed in a short period of time [4; 5]. According to [PERSON] et al. [6], about 10,000 plant species are considered vegetables, and they are classified as follows: leaf vegetables (chard, chicory, curly lettuce, lettuce, purslane and spinach); stalk vegetables (celer) and asparagus), flowering vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and artichoke); root, bulb and tuber vegetables (beet, carrot, fennel, onion, potato, radish and turnip); and legumes (peas and soya beans). In 2022, 59.8 million tons of vegetables were produced in the EU, with Spain as the leading producer, followed by Italy [7]. The highest number of farms growing fresh vegetables was in Romania, but the average area is much smaller than the EU average (7000 \(\mathrm{m}^{2}\) compared with 27,000 \(\mathrm{m}^{2}\)). In 2020, 225.4 thousand ha of vegetables were cultivated in the country, with a total production of 3501.4 thousand tones (cabbage, with 977.4 thousand tones, and tomatoes, with 712.2 thousand tones, being the most cultivated). Rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber content and phytochemicals, vegetables play an important role in humanhealth [5], and it is recommended to consume 400 g of vegetables and fruits per day (of which 240 g should be vegetables) [8; 9] for the prevention of stroke, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and other micronutrient deficiencies [10]. In 2021, an average of 364.58 g of fruit and vegetables per day per capita were consumed in the EU, being below the minimum recommended [11]. Vegetables are consumed less in countries like Romania, Latvia and Bulgaria [12]. In 2019, only 2% of the Romanian population consumed five portions of fruits and vegetables per day [13] due to their income, habits and preferences, such as the choice to buy fresh, locally produced vegetables that are in season [14]. Increasing consumption of antioxidant-rich vegetables (carrots are rich in \(\alpha\)-carotene and \(\beta\)-carotene; cabbage in ascorbic acid; lettuce and kale in vitamin E) will contribute to human health and well-being [10]. On the other hand, vegetable consumption may be associated with an increased intake of nitrites [15] present in vegetables due to mineral fertilizers applied to the soil [16]. The WHO has fixed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.07 mg nitrite/kg body weight based on methemoglobin risk data [17]. Ready-to-use vegetable salads are linked with a high microbiological risk because they are minimally processed products [18]. Microbiological contamination occurs due to microorganisms being present in the soil and water used for irrigation, as well as due to processing, transport and storage conditions [18]. According to [PERSON] et al. [4], various microbial pathogens, including _Escherichia coli_, coliforms, _Salmonella_, and _Listeria_, as well as total aerobic bacteria and spoilage bacteria, yeasts and fungi, may be present in ready-to-use vegetable salads at high levels. _Escherichia coli_ and _Salmonella_ spp. cause symptoms of gastroenteritis (every year, 550 million people suffer from _Salmonella_ poisoning [3]), while _Listeria monocytogenes_ causes Listeriosis [19] (1 million people suffer from Listeriosis per year, and the number of poisonings is constantly increasing [3]).