Postharvest washing as a critical control point in fresh produce processing: alternative sanitizers and wash technologies

Warriner, Keith; Namvar, Azadeh

doi:10.1533/9781782420279.2.71

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…Notwithstanding the opportunity for contamination during the production and logistic phases of the supply chain (34), thorough washing of the raw produce in restaurants immediately prior to serving to the consumer is a key mitigating strategy to minimize ARG and ARB spread (35). Thus, the use of appropriate hygiene and sanitization practices are crucial, as is the health status, training and personal hygiene of individuals involved in preparation of raw food such as salad (36,37).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistome in Ready-to-Eat Salad

Zhou

Wei

Giles

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

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Ready-to-eat salad harbors microorganisms that may carry various antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, few studies have focused on the prevalence of ARGs on salad, thus underestimating the risk of ARGs transferring from salad to consumers. In this small-scale study, high-throughput quantitative PCR was used to explore the presence, prevalence and abundance of ARGs associated with serving salad sourced from two restaurant types, fast-food chain and independent casual dining. A total of 156 unique ARGs and nine mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected on the salad items assessed. The abundance of ARGs and MGEs were significantly higher in independent casual dining than fast-food chain restaurants. Absolute copies of ARGs in salad were 1.34 × 10 7 to 2.71 × 10 8 and 1.90 × 10 8 to 4.87 × 10 8 copies per g salad in fast-food and casual dining restaurants, respectively. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla detected from salad samples. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Exiguobacterium, Weissella, Enterobacter, Leuconostoc, Pantoea, Serratia, Erwinia, and Ewingella were the 10 most dominant bacterial genera found in salad samples. A significant positive correlation between ARGs and MGEs was detected. These results integrate knowledge about the ARGs in ready-to-eat salad and highlight the potential impact of ARGs transfer to consumers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistome in Ready-to-Eat Salad

Zhou

Wei

Giles

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

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“…The postharvest wash procedure is considered to be a critical control point (CCP) for the removal of any field-assimilated contamination in the fresh-produce industry [ 20 ]. Chlorine is one of the most commonly used sanitizers in the produce industry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of Bacteriophage Cocktail to Control E. coli O157:H7 Contamination on Baby Spinach Leaves in the Presence or Absence of Organic Load

et al. 2021

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Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients that are essential for a healthy lifestyle. However, they also harbor an extensive array of microorganisms such as bacteria, which can be beneficial, neutral, or pathogenic. Foodborne pathogens can contaminate produce at any stage from the farm to the consumer’s table. Appropriate washing techniques using sanitizers can reduce the risk of pathogen contamination. Issues related to maintaining concentration, efficacy, and other problems have been a challenge for the food industry and, when left unresolved, have led to different outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. In this study, the efficacy of a lytic bacteriophage cocktail was examined for its ability to infect and reduce the contamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7), in media with a high organic load, using a microplate technique. The study was conducted for 3 h to determine if the bacteriophage cocktail could reduce the pathogen in the presence of a high organic load. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the population of E. coli O157:H7 was observed, representing a 99.99% pathogen reduction at the end of 3 h. Fresh spinach leaves were washed in sterile potable or organic water (~9000 ppm organic load) containing E. coli O157:H7 and a bacteriophage cocktail to study the effectiveness of bacteriophages against the foodborne pathogen. Results indicated that the bacteriophage significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the contamination of E. coli O157:H7 in both situations. The study also demonstrated the bacteriophages’ ability to infect and reduce the pathogen in an organic-rich environment. This characteristic differs from commercially available sanitizers that have demonstrated a tendency to bind with the available organic load. Thus, these studies highlight the advantage of employing bacteriophages during produce wash to eliminate foodborne pathogen contamination on fruits and vegetables.

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“…The post-harvest wash process is considered a critical control point in the fresh produce processing industry for removing field-accrued contamination [30]. It is well known that the produce industries rely on wash water sanitation to reduce the microbial load, maintain quality, and give an extended shelf life to products [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential for Bacteriophage Cocktail to Complement Commercial Sanitizer Use on Produce against Escherichia coli O157:H7

et al. 2020

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The increasing concern for food safety has created a need to evaluate novel techniques to eliminate or control pathogens, resulting in safe food. In this study, four bacteriophages of bovine origin, specific to E. coli O157:H7, were successfully isolated and characterized. A microplate reader assay demonstrated the efficacy of the bacteriophage (phage) cocktail against E. coli O157:H7 resulting in a significant reduction (p < 0.01) in the target pathogen population. The phage cocktail demonstrated significant efficacy (p < 0.05) against E. coli O157:H7 in the presence of the most utilized sanitizers in the United States, namely 100 parts per million (ppm) free chlorine and 100-ppm peroxyacetic acid. Survival in the sanitizer concentrations demonstrates the potential use of phage cocktail and sanitizer synergistically to enhance sanitation operations in the food industry.

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Postharvest washing as a critical control point in fresh produce processing: alternative sanitizers and wash technologies

Cited by 7 publications

References 66 publications

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistome in Ready-to-Eat Salad

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistome in Ready-to-Eat Salad

Efficacy of Bacteriophage Cocktail to Control E. coli O157:H7 Contamination on Baby Spinach Leaves in the Presence or Absence of Organic Load

Potential for Bacteriophage Cocktail to Complement Commercial Sanitizer Use on Produce against Escherichia coli O157:H7

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