Abstract
This study demonstrates the efficacy of cold gaseous ozone treatments at low concentrations in the eradication of high Listeria monocytogenes viable cell loads from glass, polypropylene, stainless steel, and expanded polystyrene food-contact surfaces. Using a step by step approach, involving the selection of the most resistant strain-surface combinations, 11 Listeria sp. strains resulted inactivated by a continuous ozone flow at 1.07 mg m-3 after 24 or 48 h of cold incubation, depending on both strain and surface evaluated. Increasing the inoculum level to 9 log CFU coupon-1, the best inactivation rate was obtained after 48 h of treatment at 3.21 mg m-3 ozone concentration when cells were deposited onto stainless steel and expanded polystyrene coupons, resulted the most resistant food-contact surfaces in the previous assays. The addition of naturally contaminated meat extract to a high load of L. monocytogenes LMG 23775 cells, the most resistant strain out of the 11 assayed Listeria sp. strains, led to its complete inactivation after 4 days of treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the survival of L. monocytogenes and the effect of ozone treatment under cold storage conditions on expanded polystyrene, a commonly used material in food packaging. The results of this study could be useful for reducing pathogen cross-contamination phenomena during cold food storage.
Highlights
Foodborne outbreaks affect thousands of consumers across the world every year
The aim of this work was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of gaseous ozone at low concentrations against foodborne pathogens, with particular reference to L. monocytogenes, contaminating cold storage food-contact surfaces
This work showed that gaseous ozone treatment may be used in a cold storage chamber to eradicate L. monocytogenes viable cells contaminating food-contact surfaces killing efficacy showed increasing difficulty of disinfection roughly following the scale glass ≥ polypropylene > stainless steel > expanded polystyrene
Summary
Foodborne outbreaks affect thousands of consumers across the world every year. In 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014) reported more than 19,500 infections, 4,600 hospitalizations, and 69 deaths. In 2011, more than 5,500 foodborne outbreaks, causing more than 7,000 hospitalizations and 93 deaths, were reported in the European Union (EFSA-ECDC, 2013). 47% of foodborne outbreaks were associated with meats (beef, pork, poultry, etc); among these more than 75% were attributed to Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella sp. The European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal reported that, from January 2010 to June 2015, among over 16,000 notifications, 1035 regarded meat and meat products (other than poultry), with 87 referring to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and, among these, 68 were associated with ready-to-eat meat products. A foodborne outbreak, caused by “rullepølse” (a type of rolled deli sausage served as cold cut meat), resulted in 12 deaths within 30 days of tests positive for Listeria (SSI, 2014; http://www.ssi.dk)
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