Ultrasound treatments improve the microbiological quality of water reservoirs used for the irrigation of fresh produce

Villanueva, Maria V.; Luna, María C.; Gil, María I.; Allende, Ana

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2015.05.040

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Alternatively, to improve the microbiological quality of the water, the water could be subjected to various treatments (filtration, chemical decontamination, UV irradiation, sonication, etc. ) before application as irrigation water [ 65 , 66 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Salmonella, Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter Occurrence in Primary Production of Leafy Greens and Strawberries

Ceuppens

Johannessen

Allende

et al. 2015

IJERPH

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The microbiological sanitary quality and safety of leafy greens and strawberries were assessed in the primary production in Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Norway and Spain by enumeration of Escherichia coli and detection of Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and Campylobacter. Water samples were more prone to containing pathogens (54 positives out of 950 analyses) than soil (16/1186) and produce on the field (18/977 for leafy greens and 5/402 for strawberries). The prevalence of pathogens also varied markedly according to the sampling region. Flooding of fields increased the risk considerably, with odds ratio (OR) 10.9 for Salmonella and 7.0 for STEC. A significant association between elevated numbers of generic E. coli and detection of pathogens (OR of 2.3 for STEC and 2.7 for Salmonella) was established. Generic E. coli was found to be a suitable index organism for Salmonella and STEC, but to a lesser extent for Campylobacter. Guidelines on frequency of sampling and threshold values for E. coli in irrigation water may differ from region to region.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Salmonella, Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter Occurrence in Primary Production of Leafy Greens and Strawberries

Ceuppens

Johannessen

Allende

et al. 2015

IJERPH

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“…As an example, 347 hm 3 of treated wastewater were reused in 2010 in Spain, particularly in the South East of Spain where almost 60% of the reclaimed water produced was reused [ 34 ] and 233 hm 3 in Italy [ 35 ]. Although the use of untreated wastewater for crop production is not a recommended practice, research results indicate that tertiary water treatment, including final disinfection using UV light, chlorination and/or ultrasound have been shown to be effective in removal of indicator microorganisms and pathogens to below limits of detection [ 5 , 36 ].…”

Section: Irrigation Water As a Risk Factormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Greener technologies based on physical treatments such as ultrasound (US), ultraviolet light (UV-C) and filtration have been successfully tested to reduce microbial loads of irrigation water [ 4 , 29 , 36 ]. US technology has the advantage of reducing microbial loads, including algae, without the detrimental effects of the formation of disinfection by-products [ 36 ]. Other reported advantages of US include potential simultaneous oxidation, thermolysis, shear degradation, and enhanced mass transfer processes [ 64 ].…”

Section: Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation Water Quality for Leafy Crops: A Perspective of Risks and Potential Solutions

Allende

Monaghan

2015

IJERPH

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165

107

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There is increasing evidence of the contribution of irrigation water in the contamination of produce leading to subsequent outbreaks of foodborne illness. This is a particular risk in the production of leafy vegetables that will be eaten raw without cooking. Retailers selling leafy vegetables are increasingly targeting zero-risk production systems and the associated requirements for irrigation water quality have become more stringent in regulations and quality assurance schemes (QAS) followed by growers. Growers can identify water sources that are contaminated with potential pathogens through a monitoring regime and only use water free of pathogens, but the low prevalence of pathogens makes the use of faecal indicators, particularly E. coli, a more practical approach. Where growers have to utilise water sources of moderate quality, they can reduce the risk of contamination of the edible portion of the crop (i.e., the leaves) by treating irrigation water before use through physical or chemical disinfection systems, or avoid contact between the leaves and irrigation water through the use of drip or furrow irrigation, or the use of hydroponic growing systems. This study gives an overview of the main problems in the production of leafy vegetables associated with irrigation water, including microbial risk and difficulties in water monitoring, compliance with evolving regulations and quality standards, and summarises the current alternatives available for growers to reduce microbial risks.

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“…The growers could also use a die‐off rate of 0·5 log per day between the last irrigation and harvest for the water that could not meet the water quality criteria (FDA ; Gradl and Worosz ). Besides generic E. coli , other indicator bacteria such as total coliforms, faecal coliforms and enterococci are also used for monitoring potential faecal contamination (Villanueva et al ; Yin and Patel ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Majority of the state regulations require at least a secondary treatment of the wastewater for food crop irrigation. In Florida and Texas, spray irrigation with treated wastewater is not permitted on food crops that will not be peeled, skinned, cooked or otherwise thermally processed (Bastian and Murray ; Villanueva et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative evaluation of irrigation waters on microbiological safety of spinach in field

Yin

Nou

et al. 2019

J Appl Microbiol

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Aims Effect of ground water (GW), secondary‐treated wastewater (STWW) and roof‐harvested rainwater (RHW) irrigation on microbiological quality of spinach in field was investigated. Methods and Results Spinach grown at the Fulton farm (Chambersburg, PA) was spray‐irrigated with GW, STWW or RHW once a week for 2 weeks in summer and fall seasons. Four replicate spinach and soil samples collected from two plots for each group were analysed for indicator and pathogenic bacteria on 0, 1, 2 and 4 days postirrigation (dpi). While total coliforms remained unchanged on spinach regardless of the treatment waters and growing seasons, populations of faecal coliform significantly decreased on RHW‐ and STWW‐irrigated spinach as compared to spinach irrigated with GW at 4 dpi of each week in fall. Irrigation with STWW that contained Escherichia coli population <1·0 log CFU per 100 ml resulted in the lowest E. coli recovery on spinach in fall. Bacterial pathogens were not detected in any sample. Conclusions The transference of indicator micro‐organisms from irrigation waters to plants was influenced by the type of water and growing season. Significance and Impact of the Study Alternative water sources such as STWW and RHW containing low indicator bacterial populations may be suitable for spinach irrigation in the mid‐Atlantic region. However, microbiological quality of these waters must be determined prior to their use for irrigation.

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Ultrasound treatments improve the microbiological quality of water reservoirs used for the irrigation of fresh produce

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Risk Factors for Salmonella, Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter Occurrence in Primary Production of Leafy Greens and Strawberries

Risk Factors for Salmonella, Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter Occurrence in Primary Production of Leafy Greens and Strawberries

Irrigation Water Quality for Leafy Crops: A Perspective of Risks and Potential Solutions

Comparative evaluation of irrigation waters on microbiological safety of spinach in field

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