Review: Comparison of the effectiveness of decontaminating strategies for fresh fruits and vegetables and related limitations

Abstract

Given that it should be aware of the nutritional benefits, resulting from the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed raw and/or minimally processed, comparing the efficacy of different individual sanitizing methods against the major food-borne pathogens localized in fresh commodities is of much importance; these products are easily vulnerable to the microbial contamination. In this review, the current propensity of alternative sanitizing methods was introduced, as well as principal elements for deteriorating the cleaning effects were also discussed. Chlorine-based-sanitizers exhibited the microbial reduction of <1.12 log CFU/g on fruits and vegetables. Most of aqueous disinfectants showed ≤3.01 log-redcutions against a variety of microorganisms inoculated on fresh commodities. Similarly, several physical technologies such as hydrostatic pressure and ultraviolet light were effective for reducing surviving bacterial cells could recover and grow rapidly during the whole processing, posing a potential risk of causing food-borne outbreaks associated with the fresh products. The invasion and subsequent localization of the organisms into the inner parts of products, interactions between the microbial cell and food-contacting surfaces, as well as development of biofilms could restrict the antimicrobial activity of the currently used approaches.

Effectiveness of Consumers Washing with Sanitizers to Reduce Human Norovirus on Mixed Salad

“…Once sufficient data on viral load occurring on contaminated produce products are gathered, it will be possible to assess whether this level of viral removal can be regarded as a safe virucidal objective in terms of risk mitigation. Of interest, PAA, which has a growing popularity from a safety and environmental perspective, showed an efficacy similar to sodium hypochlorite, confirming its potential as an alternative to chlorine [27]. Of note, PAA has also been proven to be more effective than sodium hypochlorite and chloride dioxide on lettuce to remove murine norovirus [17].…”

“…The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of chemical disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid, and chlorine dioxide) at decontaminating vegetables spiked with HuNoV GI and GII, using a viability RTqPCR assay to obtain a better assessment of infectivity reduction. The disinfectants used in this study are on the list approved by the FDA for the washing of fruits and vegetables, and their effectiveness and limitations have been extensively studied [26,27]. They were also chosen for our study based on their potential ease of their domestic use.…”

“…In the fresh-cut industry, PAA is often used as a commercial sanitizer in combination with other organic acids and hydrogen peroxide, producing acceptable microbial mortality levels. Finally, chlorine dioxide has received more attention as a decontaminant for vegetables and fruits because it is less affected by pH, it does not form organohalogen by-products, and its oxidative power is stronger than that of sodium hypochlorite [27].…”

Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Isolates Exposed to Stresses and the Expression of Small Non-coding RNAs

“…Microorganism contamination can occur at any point in the food production chain, from animal slaughter to food manufacturing and distribution. Many strategies and disinfectants, such as good hygiene and handling practices, chlorite-based sanitizers, and salt-cured processes, have been applied to avoid and/or reduce bacterial contamination in the food industry (Khan et al, 2017;Yoon and Lee, 2018); however, these harsh conditions actually represent serious stresses to microorganisms surviving in the corresponding surroundings. When encountering these stresses, most bacteria are rapidly injured and killed, whereas some of the cells survive by triggering adaptive cell responses to specific environmental stresses; when bacteria are not inactivated by environmental stresses, then they may adapt in response to various environmental challenges or stresses, and become more persistent strains.…”

Avaliação da redução de patógenos para higienização de vegetais utilizando produtos alternativos

“…A Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária recomenda a utilização de produtos clorados, como hipoclorito de sódio e de cálcio, para tratamento de água para consumo e desinfecção de vegetais 7,8 . Apesar de serem eficazes na redução da replicação e destruição de microrganismos, se usados indiscriminadamente, os agentes desinfetantes à base de cloro, em suas várias formas, podem estimular a formação de subprodutos halogenados, como trihalometanos e ácidos halocéticos, cujo contato frequente e por tempo prolongado pode desempenhar efeitos mutagênicos, carcinogênicos e como disruptores endócrinos [9][10][11] .…”