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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #289682
Title: Hot water surface pasteurization for inactivating Salmonella on surfaces of mature green tomatoes

Author
item Annous, Bassam
item Burke, Angela - Mattrazzo
item Sites, Joseph

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2013
Publication Date: 7/28/2013
Citation: Annous, B.A., Burke, A.M., Sites, J.E. 2013. Hot water surface pasteurization for inactivating Salmonella on surfaces of mature green tomatoes. Meeting Abstract.IAFP Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC., July 28-31, 2013., Volume 1, Page 1..

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Outbreaks of salmonellosis have been associated with the consumption of tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella. Commercial washing processes for tomatoes are limited in their ability to inactivate and/or remove this human pathogen. Our objective was to develop a hot water surface pasteurization process for enhancing microbiological safety of tomatoes. Tomatoes were surface-inoculated with S. Poona or S. Montevideo and were stored at 13 and 22 deg C for 24 h prior to processing. Hot water treatments at 70 deg C for 3.5 min inactivated in excess of 5 log CFU of Salmonella. Tomatoes that were treated and stored at 22 deg C for 12 days retained their firmness, developed red color (ripened), and had no visible decay as compared to the controls. Temperature penetration profiles indicated that the temperatures of the surface and edible tissues of the tomato were 22 and 48 deg C below the wash water temperature, respectively. These results indicate that surface pasteurization at 70 deg C for 3.5 min will enhance the microbiological safety of tomatoes and will extend the shelf life of this commodity as well.