Abstract
Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients that are essential for a healthy lifestyle. However, they also harbor an extensive array of microorganisms such as bacteria, which can be beneficial, neutral, or pathogenic. Foodborne pathogens can contaminate produce at any stage from the farm to the consumer’s table. Appropriate washing techniques using sanitizers can reduce the risk of pathogen contamination. Issues related to maintaining concentration, efficacy, and other problems have been a challenge for the food industry and, when left unresolved, have led to different outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. In this study, the efficacy of a lytic bacteriophage cocktail was examined for its ability to infect and reduce the contamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7), in media with a high organic load, using a microplate technique. The study was conducted for 3 h to determine if the bacteriophage cocktail could reduce the pathogen in the presence of a high organic load. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the population of E. coli O157:H7 was observed, representing a 99.99% pathogen reduction at the end of 3 h. Fresh spinach leaves were washed in sterile potable or organic water (~9000 ppm organic load) containing E. coli O157:H7 and a bacteriophage cocktail to study the effectiveness of bacteriophages against the foodborne pathogen. Results indicated that the bacteriophage significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the contamination of E. coli O157:H7 in both situations. The study also demonstrated the bacteriophages’ ability to infect and reduce the pathogen in an organic-rich environment. This characteristic differs from commercially available sanitizers that have demonstrated a tendency to bind with the available organic load. Thus, these studies highlight the advantage of employing bacteriophages during produce wash to eliminate foodborne pathogen contamination on fruits and vegetables.
Highlights
Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is often encouraged by government agencies in many countries as an essential part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle [1].Fresh fruits and vegetables consumed raw, such as leafy greens, are recognized to be potential vehicles for human pathogens that are traditionally associated with foods of animal origin [1]
The bacteriophage cocktail preparation decreased the growth of E. coli
O157:H7 (p < 0.01) in a controlled environment in the presence of a 9810-ppm organic load from 1.00 × 109 CFU/mL to 1.84 × 103 CFU/mL in the treatment resulting in a 99.99%
Summary
Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is often encouraged by government agencies in many countries as an essential part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle [1]. Fresh fruits and vegetables consumed raw, such as leafy greens, are recognized to be potential vehicles for human pathogens that are traditionally associated with foods of animal origin [1]. Developed and developing countries are strengthening current food safety systems worldwide to face real and perceived food safety challenges encountered by their food industries [2]. Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) causes. Infections from E. coli O157:H7 are often associated with the consumption of meat or meat products. Several outbreaks have been traced back to the consumption of contaminated produce, such as radishes and pre-packaged spinach [1].
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