Sunday, December 19, 2010

JOURNAL: Evaluation of a GRAS Sanitizer for Enhanced Microbial Safety and Shelf-life of ISS Fresh Produce at Ambient Temperature

ABSTRACT: The development of novel, effective food-grade sanitizers is necessary for ensuring the microbial safety of fresh fruits and vegetables for astronauts in space as well as for consumers on earth. Studies are currently being conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a GRAS sanitizer, PRO-SAN, for destroying Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on whole tomatoes and lettuce leaves and for improving the storage stability of these products at ambient temperature (25 OC).

Greenhouse-grown tomatoes and leaves of Romaine lettuce were spotinoculated with nalidixic-acid-resistant strains of E. coli or Salmonella, air-dried in a laminar flow hood at 23 + 2OC for 1 hour, then held overnight at that same temperature until application of sanitizers. Inoculated tomatoes and lettuce were immersed for 4 minutes in distilled water or the following sanitizers at 23 OC: 200 ppm hypochlorite (CHLOR), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 5% wt/vol), PRO-SAN (PRO, 1% wt/vol), PRO-SAN soft (PRSOF, 1% wt/vol), PRO-SAN LC (PROLC, 1% wt/vol), and PRO-SAN soft LC (PRSOFLC, 1% wt/vol). Inoculated samples, which were not immersed in water or sanitizer, served as nowash controls. Additional samples were stored (without rinsing) at 25 OC for 8 days and analyzed for microbial survivors at 2-day intervals. Non-inoculated samples, immersed in water, CHLOR, H2O2, or PRO-SAN, were stored at 25 OC for 8 days, and evaluated for changes in color, texture, flavor, and the extent of mold growth at set intervals during storage. Results of these studies will highlight the efficacy of PRO-SAN for enhancing the microbial safety and shelf-life of tomatoes and lettuce during storage at 25 OC for 8 days. In this regard the effectiveness of PRO-SAN as compared with that of CHLOR and H2O2 will be also be discussed.
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