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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412217
Research Project: Healthy, Sustainable Pecan Nut Production

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: Effects of Intense Pulsed Light on Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Quality Characteristics of Pecan Halves

Author
item GYAWALI, RABIN - Fort Valley State University
item DEGALA, HEMA - Fort Valley State University
item BISWAL, AJAYA - University Of Georgia
item Bardsley, Cameron
item MAHAPATRA, AJIT - Fort Valley State University

Submitted to: LWT - Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2024
Publication Date: 6/14/2024
Citation: Gyawali, R., Degala, H.L., Biswal, A.K., Bardsley, C.A., Mahapatra, A.K. 2024. Effects of Intense Pulsed Light on Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Quality Characteristics of Pecan Halves. LWT - Food Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.116344.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.116344

Interpretive Summary: Due to recent outbreaks, foodborne pathogen contamination of low-moisture foods such as nuts and nut products are becoming more of a concern. Thermal treatments which include cooking, frying, or roasting may be effective at eliminating pathogens but these processes change other important aspects of the nuts such as taste and shelf life. The development and use of nonthermal technologies, such as intense pulsed light, provide promising outlooks to prevent foodborne illness from occurring with these products while maintaining quality and sensory attributes. This research evaluated the effectiveness of intense pulsed light at reducing Salmonella contamination on pecan kernels while maintaining the quality of the product. Treatments of intense pulsed light were able to reduce Salmonella by approximately 99.9% on pecan kernels when treated at approximately 13 cm for 40 seconds. The color, texture, water activity, moisture content and peroxide values of the kernel were not effected by the treatment. This presents a promising treatment to maintain reduce potential Salmonella contamination.

Technical Abstract: Tree nuts have been associated with several foodborne outbreaks and recalls in the U.S. While thermal decontamination methods can inactivate pathogens, they come with challenges of varying severity on the product quality. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of nonthermal intense pulsed light (IPL) on Salmonella Typhimurium inactivation and quality attributes of pecan halves. The level of microbial reduction increased with an increase in treatment time (from 10 to 40 s) and decreased with an increase in the distance (8.28 to 13.36 cm) from the light source. Both treatments (time and distance) were found to have a significant effect (P = 0.05) on microbial reduction, whereas interaction effects (time * distance) were not significant. A 3.43 log CFU/pecan reduction in Salmonella was achieved when samples were treated at 13.36 cm distance for 40 s. No significant difference in the color, texture, water activity, moisture content, and peroxide value was observed between control and IPL-treated samples. We observed a decrease in most monosaccharide sugar levels compared to untreated pecans. The SEM images showed changes in bacterial cell morphology in IPL treated samples. This study demonstrated that IPL treatment could be used as a potential decontamination method for pecan halves.