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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #141461
Title: EFFICACY OF ACIDIC ELECTROLYZED WATER AND OTHER SANITIZING SOLUTIONS IN REDUCING ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 POPULATIONS IN INACCESSIBLE REGIONS OF THE APPLE

Author
item Annous, Bassam
item Burke, Angela - Mattrazzo

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2002
Publication Date: 12/1/2002
Citation: Annous, B.A., Burke, A.M. 2002. Efficacy of acidic electrolyzed water and other sanitizing solutions in reducing escherichia coli o157:h7 populations in inaccessible regions of the apple. Proceedings of the United States - Japan/Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR) Protein Resources Panel, 31st Annual Meeting, December 1-5, 2002, Monterey, California. p. E1-E7.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This study was designed to show that attachment of pathogens to inaccessible sites (calyx and/or stem) of the apple is a major factor in limiting the efficacy of washing treatments. Apples that were artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 in inaccessible regions were washed at 25 and 60 degrees C for 2 min with shaking in one of the following washing solutions (4 L): tap water, hydrogen peroxide (5 percent); acidified sodium chlorite (Sanova; 1200 ppm); chlorine (400 ppm; pH=6.5); acidic electrolyzed water (AEW; 30 ppm chlorine; pH=2.4). Overall, none of the washing treatments used was able to completely inactivate and/or remove pathogenic cells attached to inaccessible sites of the apple. The failure of these washing treatments to inactivate and/or remove bacterial cells in inaccessible sites demonstrates the need for new fruit washing technology that can overcome this limitation.