A total of 10 bundles of green asparagus (250 g each) from different Andalusian harvests (provinces of Jaén, Córdoba and Granada) were purchased at ten different stores in the province of Jaén and stored refrigerated until processed (no more than 24 h). For each bundle, the 10 cm distal part (which is harder and closer to the ground) was cut and discarded, and the remaining 10–15 cm apical and central part was introduced into a sealable plastic bag and mixed by hand for 2 min with 10 ml of sterile buffered peptone water (0.5 M) in order to recover its surface microbiota