TITLE:
Evaluation of Organic Acid-Based Sanitizers for Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during Flume-Washing of Organic Leafy Greens
AUTHORS:
Pushpinder Kaur Litt, Justin Brooks, Divya Jaroni
KEYWORDS:
Organic Sanitizers, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Organic Leafy Greens, Antimicrobials
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.8 No.10,
October
24,
2017
ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial efficacy of three novel organic sanitizers, CHICO WashTM,
C8C10 and CG100, was evaluated for the reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during flume-washing of organic leafy greens. Organic formulations
at various concentrations: CHICO (C3H8I0C3O7) WashTM (1:20 ratio) and C8C10
and CG100 (0.2 and 0.4%), along with the controls: hydrogen-peroxide and
water, were used for washing organic baby and mature spinach and romaine
and iceberg lettuce. Leafy greens were inoculated with a 2-strain cocktail of E.
coli O157:H7 (6 logs CFU/mL) and washed in each treatment for 1 or 2 minutes.
The treated leafy greens were stored at 4°C and surviving pathogen
populations determined on days 0, 1, and 3 of storage. Organic sanitizers, for
both treatment times, significantly (P E. coli O157:H7 on all
the leafy greens during storage. Highest reduction (3.4 logs CFU/g) was observed
after treatment with CG100 (0.4%) in romaine lettuce, while CHICO
WashTM showed greater than 2 logs CFU/g reduction on all the leafy greens, by
day 3. This study demonstrates the potential application of organic sanitizers
in flume-washing of organic leafy greens for the reduction of E. coli O157:H7.