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Improved Sanitizing Treatments for Fresh Tomatoes
Author(s) -
Sapers Gerald M.,
Jones Donyel M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2006.00129.x
Subject(s) - chlorine , hydrogen peroxide , chemistry , inoculation , population , salmonella , food science , escherichia coli , human decontamination , chlorine dioxide , horticulture , bacteria , biology , medicine , biochemistry , inorganic chemistry , genetics , environmental health , organic chemistry , pathology , gene
Fresh tomatoes repeatedly have been associated with major outbreaks of salmonellosis; however, efforts to disinfect them with chlorine or other sanitizing agents have had only mixed success. Our objective was to determine whether hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) treatments would be more efficacious than conventional methods in disinfecting tomatoes containing human pathogens and, at the same time, be noninjurious to quality. Tomatoes were dip inoculated with Escherichia coli NRRL B‐766 or a Salmonella cocktail and then held for 0, 24, or 48 h at 4 or 24 °C prior to treatment. Treatments included 200 ppm chlorine (Cl 2 ) at 20 °C for 3 min, water at 20 °C for 3 min or at 60 °C for 2 min, 1% H 2 O 2 at 20 °C for 15 min or at 60 °C for 2 min, and 5% H 2 O 2 at 60 °C for 2, 3, or 5 min. In tomatoes held 48 h postinoculation, the chlorine treatment was only marginally more effective than an equivalent water rinse in reducing the target bacterial population, while the hot water and 1% H 2 O 2 treatments achieved reductions no greater than 1.3 logs. However, application of 5% H 2 O 2 at 60 °C resulted in larger reductions. Efficacy of all treatments decreased as the time interval between inoculation and treatment increased. Greater reductions could not be achieved with 5% H 2 O 2 at 60 °C by increasing the contact time or addition of surfactants, and these treatments caused some quality loss.