Binding and Inactivation of Viruses on and in Food, with a Focus on the Role of the Matrix

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of factors that are known to affect the binding of enteric viruses to different food matrices and that affect the persistence and survival of the virus once it is food associated, with an emphasis on foods that are contaminated by food handlers before the preparation stage. The complex surfaces of fresh fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, may also decrease desiccation effects that lead to virus inactivation. The addition of food additives, such as sodium bisulfite or ascorbic acid, may also increase virus inactivation. However, limited experimental data are available on the effects of sunlight on the survival of enteric viruses in the environment or on foods. High-hydrostatic-pressure processing (HHP) efficiently inactivates enteric viruses suspended in buffer, but the inactivation rates are affected by treatment temperature and virus strain. The inability to remove or inactivate enteric viruses from contaminated foodstuffs leads inevitably to human disease in some susceptible consumers. Enteric viruses bind to food matrices by a variety of mechanisms, including ionic and hydrophobic interactions, van der Waals forces, interaction with specific ligands (e.g., receptors), and uptake into plants. A better understanding of the interaction between pathogenic enteric viruses and different food matrices should lead to enhanced measures to remove or inactivate these viruses and ultimately to improved food safety.