Effects of Combined Chlorine Dioxide Gas Treatment Using Low-Concentration Generating Sticks on the Microbiological Safety and Quality of Paprika during Storage

Abstract

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas treatment (75 ppmv, 30 min) has been suggested to improve the microbial safety of postharvest paprika in a previous study. Based on these results, in this study, an additional combined treatment using low-concentration ClO2 gas-generating sticks (3 ppmv) in paprika samples during storage was carried out at 8°C and 90% relative humidity to further enhance the quality and reduce the decay rate of paprika for the purpose of lengthy storage. After the combined treatment, the initial populations of total aerobic bacteria as well as yeast and molds in the paprika samples decreased by 3.04 and 2.70 log CFU/g, respectively, compared with those of the control samples, and this microbial inactivation was maintained by the low-concentration ClO2 gas-generating sticks during storage. In particular, the decay rate of samples with combined treatment was significantly lower than that of the control. Vitamin C content, hardness, and color quality parameters of paprika samples were not altered by treatment, while weight loss of the samples treated with the combined ClO2 gas was lower than that of the control during storage. These results indicate that the combination of two different ClO2 gas treatments is effective for retaining the quality of paprika during prolonged storage.

Distribution, Identification, and Quantification of Residues after Treatment of Ready-To-Eat Salami with 36Cl-Labeled or Nonlabeled Chlorine Dioxide Gas

“…A growing body of evidence clearly demonstrates the efficacy of gaseous chlorine dioxide against pathogenic bacteria, spoilage organisms, − spores, − molds, , and viruses , on a variety of surfaces ,, including produce and spices . Some organisms are remarkably sensitive to chlorine dioxide gas; for example, activity against airborne viral pathogens is maintained at concentrations below allowable time-weighted human exposure values − (i.e., 0.1 ppm).…”

“…A growing body of evidence clearly demonstrates the efficacy of gaseous chlorine dioxide against pathogenic bacteria, 1 spoilage organisms, 2−4 spores, 5−7 molds, 8,9 and viruses 10,11 on a variety of surfaces 5,12,13 including produce 1 and spices. 14 Some organisms are remarkably sensitive to chlorine dioxide gas; for example, activity against airborne viral pathogens is maintained at concentrations below allowable time-weighted human exposure values 15−17 (i.e., 0.1 ppm). Given the variety of pests and pathogens and the ranges of concentrations at which chlorine dioxide gas is active, the gas has been proposed for a very large number of food safety and/or preservation applications.…”