I know alot of the phytochemicals in plants (resveratrol in grapes and falcarinol in carrots for instance) protect them for bacteria, fungi, etc. Is the e coli bacteria harmful to the spinach plant itself and if so doesn’t the plant produce chemicals to destroy it? From what I understand the recent outbreak was from contaminated soil and/or water so the bacteria is in the actual plant not on the surface of the leaves.
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E. coli isn’t harmful to plants; in fact, there’s some evidence it increases photosynthetic output. Regardless, the E. coli survives on the external surface of the leaves, mostly, not inside.
i dont know what ur talking about, but by washing the vegetables contaminated with e coli with a lot of lemon juice, it becomes safe and actually edible, though i wouldnt eat it anyway, just my preference.