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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337985
Research Project: Characterization and Mitigation of Bacterial Pathogens in the Fresh Produce Production and Processing Continuum

Location: Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory

Title: Antimicrobials for foodborne pathogens inactivation on cantaloupe

Author
item Patel, Jitu
item ABHINAV, UPADHYAY - University Of Connecticut
item KUMAR, VENKITANARAYANA - University Of Connecticut

Submitted to: ARS Food Safety and Inspection Service Research Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/17/2017
Publication Date: 2/22/2017
Citation: Patel, J.R., Abhinav, U., Kumar, V. 2017. Antimicrobials for foodborne pathogens inactivation on cantaloupe. ARS Food Safety and Inspection Service Research Workshop. Secrion P, p.4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This study investigated the efficacy of a new generation disinfectant, namely octenidine dihydrochloride (OH) as pre- and post-harvest treatment for reducing Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe surface. At farm, cantaloupes were dip-inoculated with L. innocua or E. coli O157:H12 followed by spraying of OH (0.1-0.2%). Cantaloupes were harvested at 14 and 28 days post inoculation (dpi) to determine surviving populations of pathogens. For post-harvest study, cantaloupe rind plugs inoculated separately with L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., or E. coli O157:H7 (~8 log/cm2) in laboratory were washed for 1, 3, or 5 min at 25°C in sterile water (control), chlorine (200 ppm) or water containing OH (0.01, 0.05, 0.1%), and surviving pathogen populations were enumerated. Additionally, inoculated cantaloupe rind plugs were coated with 2% chitosan or chitosan containing OH (0.01, 0.05, 0.1%) and sampled for surviving pathogen populations. Subsequently, the efficacy of OH wash and coating treatments (0.1 and 0.2%) in inactivating the three pathogens on whole cantaloupes was determined. Treatment of cantaloupe with OH at farm reduced E. coli O157:H12 by 6 log MPN and L. innocua by 2 long MPNat 14 dpi. All post-harvest OH wash treatments reduced L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 on cantaloupe rinds by > 5 log CFU/cm2 by 2 min, and decreased their counts to undetectable levels (below 2 log CFU/cm2) by 5 min (P < 0.05). Similarly, OH coating on cantaloupe rinds reduced the pathogens by 3-5 log CFU/cm2 . Washing whole cantaloupes for 5 min with 0.1 and 0.2% OH decreased pathogen populations by at least 5 log CFU/cm2 (P < 0.05). Moreover, chitosan-based OH coating at 0.1 and 0.2% decreased all three pathogen populations on whole cantaloupes. Results indicate that OH could be effectively used as pre- and post-harvest treatments to reduce foodborne pathogens on cantaloupes and enhance food safety.