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Enhanced Chlorine Efficacy against Bacterial Pathogens in Wash Solution with High Organic Loads
Author(s) -
YANG YANG,
LUO YAGUANG,
MILLNER PATRICIA,
SHELTON DANIEL,
NOU XIANGWU
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/jfpp.12000
Subject(s) - chlorine , hand sanitizer , citric acid , pathogen , contamination , chemistry , organic acid , organic matter , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , ecology
Chlorine is widely used as a sanitizer in commercial fresh‐cut produce wash operations. However, chlorine reacts rapidly with organic materials, leading to potential pathogen survival when chlorine concentration nears depletion. This study evaluated a new process aid, T 128, for its capacity to enhance chlorine efficacy against E scherichia coli O 157: H 7 in solutions with high organic loads. Chlorine solutions were prepared with either T 128 or citric acid (control) to adjust pH . Survival of E . coli O 157: H 7 was assayed during washing of increasing amounts of shredded lettuce, or addition of lettuce juice as organic load. The application of T 128 significantly reduced survival of E . coli O 157: H 7 when free chlorine in solution decreased to levels approaching depletion. In the presence of T 128, no pathogen survival was observed with the free chlorine concentration as low as 0.05 mg/ L , while 0.4 mg/ L free chlorine was required to kill pathogens in the absence of T 128 in the wash solution. Practical Applications The foodborne illness outbreaks that plague the fresh‐cut produce industry are a testament to the need for a more effective sanitizer to prevent pathogen survival and cross contamination in commercial produce wash systems with large influxes of organic matter. This paper reports the investigation of the effect of a new process aid, T 128, on reducing the survival of E . coli O 157: H 7 in wash solutions in which chlorine is near depletion due to high organic load, and thus the potential to improve the safety margin of fresh‐cut process control.