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Determination of free chlorine concentrations needed to prevent Escherichia coli O157:H7 cross-contamination during fresh-cut produce wash
- Abstract::
- This study was conducted to investigate the effect of free chlorine concentrations in wash water on Escherichia coli O157:H7 reduction, survival, and transference during washing of fresh-cut lettuce. The effectiveness of rewashing for inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 on newly cross-contaminated produce previously washed with solutions containing an insufficient amount of chlorine also was assessed. Results indicate that solutions containing a minimum of 0.5 mg/liter free chlorine were effective for inactivating E. coli O157:H7 in suspension to below the detection level. However, the presence of 1 mg/liter free chlorine in the wash solution before washing was insufficient to prevent E. coli O157:H7 survival and transfer during washing because the introduction of cut lettuce to the wash system quickly depleted the free chlorine. Although no E. coli O157:H7 was detected in the wash solution containing 5 mg/liter free chlorine before washing a mix of inoculated and uninoculated lettuce, low numbers of E. coli O157:H7 cells were detected on uninoculated lettuce in four of the seven experimental trials. When the prewash free chlorine concentration was increased to 10 mg/liter or greater, no E. coli O157:H7 transfer was detected. Furthermore, although rewashing newly cross-contaminated lettuce in 50 mg/liter free chlorine for 30 s significantly reduced (P = 0.002) the E. coli O157:H7 populations, it failed to eliminate E. coli O157:H7 on lettuce. This finding suggests that rewashing is not an effective way to correct for process failure, and maintaining a sufficient free chlorine concentration in the wash solution is critical for preventing pathogen cross-contamination.
- Author(s):
-
Luo, Yaguang , Nou, Xiangwu , Yang, Yang , Alegre, Isabel , Turner, Ellen , Feng, Hao , Abadias, Maribel , Conway, William
- Subject(s):
-
sanitizers , chlorine , antibacterial properties , washing , fresh-cut foods , lettuce , cross contamination , food pathogens , bacterial colonization , minimum inhibitory concentration , food safety , sanitizing
- Description:
- Includes references
- Source:
- Journal of food protection 2011 Mar., v. 74, no. 3
- Language:
- English
- Year:
- 2011
- Collection:
-
Journal Articles, USDA Authors, Peer-Reviewed
- File:
-
Download [PDF]
- Rights:
- Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
