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The industrial apple packing process begins with submerging the harvested or stored apples into the water dump tank and carrying them by water flumes through various washing steps before drying and packing. Constant introduction of organic matter and water recirculation introduces the risk of apples being cross-contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. This study investigated the relationship between the apple peel microstructure and attachment of bacteria in an aqueous environment. Whole fresh apples of three varieties (viz., Gala, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith) were inoculated with L. innocua, a surrogate strain of L. monocytogenes, by submerging the apples into the inoculum solution containing ∼10⁶ CFU/mL level. Apples were carefully turned around in the inoculum for 10 min simulating industrial dump tank and fumes conditions. Attachment of L. innocua, to …