Abstract
Produce growers using surface or well water to irrigate their crops may require an appropriate water treatment system in place to meet the water quality standard imposed by FSMA Produce Safety Rule. This study evaluated the potential of using ultraviolet (UV‐C) treatment in reducing the microbial population in agricultural water. Waters with turbidity levels ranging from 10.93 to 23.32 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) were prepared by mixing pond water and well water. The waters were inoculated with a cocktail of generic Escherichia coli (ATCC 23716, 25922, and 11775) and then treated with UV‐C light (20–60 mJ/cm2). All tested doses of the UV‐C treatment reduced the E. coli levels significantly (p < .05) in the water samples with the turbidity levels up to 23.32 NTU. The decrease in the turbidity from 23.32 to 10.93 NTU increased the level of reduction by more than 2.15 log most probable number (MPN)/100 ml). UV‐C treatment effectively reduces microbial load in agriculture water; however, turbidity of water may significantly affect the disinfection efficacy. The study also demonstrated that sprinkler system resulted in a higher level of contamination of cantaloupes compared with drip irrigation. The results indicated that UV‐C treatment could be a promising strategy in reducing the produce safety risks associated with irrigation water.
Highlights
Produce safety has become the forefront in agricultural issues that address potential public health risks due to an increase in foodborne disease outbreaks (Breitenmoser, Fretz, Schmid, Besl, & Etter, 2011; CDC, 2015; Fan, Annous, Beaulieu, & Sites, 2008; Mazari-Hiriart et al, 2008)
This study evaluated the efficacy of UV-C light treatment in reducing generic E. coli in surface water, well water, and their mixtures with different level of turbidity
The UV-C dose of 20–30 mJ/cm2 resulted in the reduction in generic E. coli population by more than 7 log most probable number (MPN)/100 ml in well water (10.93 NTU) and Well + Pond (4:1) (WP) (13.16 NTU)
Summary
The rule requires that the water used for irrigation and production/processing of fresh produce must be safe and of adequate sanitary quality for its intended use. The growers are recommended to regularly monitor the microbial quality of their water sources by testing generic E. coli (FDA, 2019; Chhetri, 2018). The distinguishable characteristics of generic E. coli make it a principal indicator organism to assess water contamination with human pathogens (FDA, 2019). It is a predictor of undesirable conditions such as ineffective treatment or fecal contamination (Gekenidis et al, 2018). This study evaluated the efficacy of UV-C light treatment in reducing generic E. coli in surface water, well water, and their mixtures with different level of turbidity. The effect of UV-C-treated irrigation water on the generic E. coli levels on the cantaloupes was evaluated in an agriculture setting
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