Abstract
The efficacy of two leafy produce wash methods, the traditional cutting-before-washing process and a new washing-before-cutting method, on reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated on Iceberg lettuce was compared. The washing tests were conducted in a pilot-scale washer using combinations of water, chlorine, peroxyacetic acid, and ultrasound. The washing-before-cutting process recorded an E. coli O157:H7 count reduction 0.79-0.80 log10 CFU/g higher than that achieved with the cutting-before-washing process in treatments involving only a sanitizer. When ultrasound was applied to the washing-before-cutting process, a further improvement of 0.37-0.68 log10 CFU/g in microbial count reduction was obtained, reaching total reductions of 2.43 and 2.24 log10 CFU/g for chlorine and peroxyacetic acid washes, respectively.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 18-23 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | International Journal of Food Microbiology |
Volume | 179 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2 2014 |
Keywords
- Lettuce
- Sanitation method
- Sanitizer
- Ultrasound
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science
- Microbiology