Novel disinfectants for fresh produce

Efficacy of Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide, and Peroxyacetic Acid in Reducing Salmonella Contamination in Wash Water and on Mangoes Under Simulated Mango Packinghouse Washing Operations

“…Moreover, the reduced antimicrobial efficacy was more evident in the presence of organic matter (Tables 2B, 3B). These findings are in line with previous research that demonstrates that a reduction in residual free chlorine particularly in the presence of organic contamination is primarily responsible for the observed loss in the antimicrobial efficacy of the disinfectant (Pao et al, 2007;Joshi et al, 2013;Chen and Hung, 2017;Sreedharan et al, 2017). Since mangoes imported to the United States can serve as a vector for tephritid flies, USDA APHIS requires that these mangoes be subjected to hot water disinfestation [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and Plant Protection Quarantine, 2010].…”

“…Hence maintenance of an appealing color is critical to promote fruit sales. In this regard, PAA and chlorine-based disinfectants including chlorine dioxide are strong oxidizing agents and therefore can react with phytochemicals on fruits and vegetables, thereby affecting their appearance (Joshi et al, 2013). In fact, researchers have demonstrated that prolonged washing with chlorine dioxide causes darkening and loss of visual quality (Du et al, 2009;Chen, 2017).…”

“…PAA is not susceptible to peroxidases and is known to retain its antimicrobial activity in the presence of organic loads or food residues when compared to chlorine (Fatemi and Frank, 1999;Hilgren et al, 2007;Small et al, 2007). Although antimicrobial, the oxidizing ability of these disinfectants, particularly chlorine dioxide and PAA are also associated with discoloration and negative impact on fruit color (Wang et al, 2007;Du et al, 2009;Joshi et al, 2013;Van de Velde et al, 2016;Chen, 2017).…”

Phytic Acid and Sodium Chloride Show Marked Synergistic Bactericidal Effects against Nonadapted and Acid-Adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strains

“…According to the World Health Organization, foodborne and waterborne diarrheal diseases kill an estimated 2 million people per year, many of whom are children (1). Although various chemicals are used to control the transmission of foodborne illnesses via the food and livestock industries (2,3), several studies have suggested that synthetic sanitizers can have significant side effects (e.g., bleaching, formation of toxic compounds, and off odors) (4,5). Because modern consumers tend to prefer the use of "natural" agents rather than "synthetic" ones (6), new antimicrobial agents are required; therefore, studies of natural compounds with antimicrobial actions are warranted.…”

Microbial ecology of fresh vegetables

“…Effective washing and decontamination of fresh-cut veg etables is difficult to achieve due to the different types of vegetables, the inadequate efficacy of individual treatments alone (Table 17.5), the presence of biofilms on vegetables and on processing equipment (Jahid and Ha, 2012;Somers et al, 1994), and internalization/infil tration of bacteria within produce (Zhuang et al, 1995;Zheng et al, 2013;Takeuchi and Frank, 2000). Therefore, a combination of different disinfection methods (e.g., hurdle technology) (Rico et al, 2007;Joshi et al, 2013) is necessary to increase the efficacy of disinfectants against microbial population reduction. Novel biocontrol strategies using environmentally and ecologically friendly bacterial epiphytes, designed and now being evaluated with human health end points (i.e., prevention of salmonel losis and other produce-borne illnesses), may also play a significant role in the reduction of pathogen loads on fresh produce.…”