Alternative sanitization methods for minimally processed lettuce in comparison to sodium hypochlorite

Abstract

Lettuce is a leafy vegetable widely used in industry for minimally processed products, in which the step of sanitization is the crucial moment for ensuring a safe food for consumption. Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite, are the most used in Brazil, but the formation of trihalomethanes from this sanitizer is a drawback. Then, the search for alternative methods to sodium hypochlorite has been emerging as a matter of great interest. The suitability of chlorine dioxide (60 mg L−1/10 min), peracetic acid (100 mg L−1/15 min) and ozonated water (1.2 mg L−1 /1 min) as alternative sanitizers to sodium hypochlorite (150 mg L−1 free chlorine/15 min) were evaluated. Minimally processed lettuce washed with tap water for 1 min was used as a control. Microbiological analyses were performed in triplicate, before and after sanitization, and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage at 2 ± 1 °C with the product packaged on LDPE bags of 60 μm. It was evaluated total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., psicrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. All samples of minimally processed lettuce showed absence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. The treatments of chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and ozonated water promoted reduction of 2.5, 1.1 and 0.7 log cycle, respectively, on count of microbial load of minimally processed product and can be used as substitutes for sodium hypochlorite. These alternative compounds promoted a shelf-life of six days to minimally processed lettuce, while the shelf-life with sodium hypochlorite was 12 days.

Disinfection of Pacifier Focusing on Candida albicans

“…Moreover, if parents choose to use detergent or SH to wash the pacifier, they should be careful to wash the object well to avoid the ingestion of these substances by the child. As described in the study by Bachelli et al, 9 SH forms trihalomethanes, which constitutes a disadvantage of its use. In addition to this, it is the manufacturers’ recommendation to avoid the consumption of these products due to their toxicity.…”

“…This research analyzed complete articles available about hygiene of foods and toothbrushes, published in the period from January 2012 to October 2018. Among these articles, chlorhexidine, 5 SH, 9-13 ND, 12 and water 9,13,14 were the most analyzed cleaning media in the research. Tomar et al 5 described the use of chlorhexidine 0.2% for 12 hours for disinfecting toothbrushes.…”

Use of Propolis in the Sanitization of Lettuce

“…Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite are the most used. However, several reports have questioned its efficacy and given emphasis to the formation of trihalomethanes, which are carcinogenic compounds [13,14]. …”

Omics approaches on fresh‐cut lettuce reveal global molecular responses to sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid treatment

“…In minimally processed lettuce, this step is usually achieved by specifically designed washing procedures with or without the addition of sanitizers. In this respect, sodium hypochlorite (SH) is the most commonly used disinfectant, because it is the most inexpensive and readily available sanitizer that has minimal impact on the nutritional and sensory qualities of the product . Nevertheless, the major drawback is that chlorine can react with organic matter in water to produce toxic compounds such as trihalomethanes and other halogenated by‐products .…”

“…In this respect, sodium hypochlorite (SH) is the most commonly used disinfectant, because it is the most inexpensive and readily available sanitizer that has minimal impact on the nutritional and sensory qualities of the product. 4,5 Nevertheless, the major drawback is that chlorine can react with organic matter in water to produce toxic compounds such as trihalomethanes and other halogenated by-products. 6 Thus hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), electrolyzed water, organic acids and ozone have also been suggested as valuable disinfectants for sanitizing fresh-cut products.…”