Strategies for Microbial Decontamination of Fresh Blueberries and Derived Products

Abstract

Increasing consumption of blueberries is associated with appreciation of their organoleptic properties together with their multiple health benefits. The increasing number of outbreaks caused by pathogenic microorganisms associated with their consumption in the fresh state and the rapid spoilage of this product which is mainly caused by moulds, has led to the development and evaluation of alternatives that help mitigate this problem. This article presents different strategies ranging from chemical, physical and biological technologies to combined methods applied for microbial decontamination of fresh blueberries and derived products. Sanitizers such as peracetic acid (PAA), ozone (O3), and electrolyzed water (EOW), and physical technologies such as pulsed light (PL) and cold plasma (CP) are potential alternatives to the use of traditional chlorine. Likewise, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) or pulsed electrical fields (PEF) successfully achieve microbial reductions in derivative products. A combination of methods at moderate intensities or levels is a promising strategy to increase microbial decontamination with a minimal impact on product quality.

Revisión sobre las tecnologías emergentes no térmicas para el procesamiento de alimentos

“…El mecanismo, principal, descrito para la inactivación bacteriana es la alteración de su membrana celular a través de los cambios estructurales, en sus proteínas y fosfolípidos, que aumentan su permeabilidad, condición que vulnera al microorganismo ante la presencia de los agentes antimicrobianos interrumpiendo su función celular (Asaithambi et al, 2021;Ekonomou & Boziaris, 2021;Pérez-Lavalle, Carrasco & Valero, 2020). El efecto en el microorganismo con las HHP se ejemplifica en la Figura 1, donde en una primera etapa se muestra con su estructura íntegra (Figura 1D), posteriormente se representan los cambios durante la aplicación del tratamiento (Figura 1E), que altera como ya se mencionó a la membrana e irrumpe su función celular, condiciones que se ilustran en la Figura 1F donde se observa el daño.…”

“…El efecto antimicrobiano del tratamiento con ultrasonido se atribuye a la cavitación y a la formación de los radicales libres que alteran la membrana celular y producen daños en la estructura del DNA de los microorganismos (Pérez-Lavalle et al, 2020).…”

“…Los pulsos eléctricos o campos eléctricos pulsados (PEF, por sus siglas en inglés) son una tecnología emergente no térmica estudiada en los últimos años para el procesamiento de los alimentos y consiste en la aplicación de pulsos de alto voltaje del orden de 0.1-80 kV/cm durante un período corto que va de los micro a los milisegundos (Ekonomou & Boziaris, 2021;Guionet et al, 2021;Pérez-Lavalle et al, 2020). El tratamiento con pulsos eléctricos consiste en colocar los alimentos entre dos electrodos generalmente hechos de acero inoxidable durante un breve período de tiempo para evitar el calentamiento (Figura 3A) (Jadhav et al, 2021;Kaavya et al, 2021;Zhang, Wang, Zeng, Han & Brennan, 2019).…”

Bibliometric analysis of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) research publications based on Web of Science

“…Increasing consumption of blueberries is associated with appreciation of their organoleptic properties together with their multiple health benefits. Blueberries are fruits that are highly appreciated for their nutritional value and high concentration of bioactive substances such as vitamins, anthocyanins, and other phenolic compounds (Pérez-Lavalle et al, 2020). Blueberry is a very attractive crop mainly for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.…”

Extraction and Characterization of Pectin from Jerusalem ArtiChoke Residue and Its Application in Blueberry Preservation

“…Blueberry (Vaccinium ssp.) is a nutritious fruit rich in anthocyanins, vitamins, and other phenolic compounds [4]. In addition, it has become widely popular among consumers due to its unique taste and high nutritional value.…”