Abstract
Washing and disinfection methods used by minimally processed vegetable industries of Southern Brazil were reproduced in laboratory in order to verify their effectiveness to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis SE86 (SE86) on lettuce. Among the five industries investigated, four carried out washing with potable water followed by disinfection with 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite during different immersion times. The washing procedure alone decreased approximately 1 log CFU/g of SE86 population and immersion times of 1, 2, 5, and 15 minutes in disinfectant solution demonstrated reduction rates ranging from 2.06±0.10 log CFU/g to 3.01±0.21 log CFU/g. Rinsing alone was able to reduce counts from 0.12±0.63 log CFU/g to 1.90±1.07 log CFU/g. The most effective method was washing followed by disinfection with 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 15 minutes and final rinse with potable water, reaching 5.83 log CFU/g of reduction. However, no statistical differences were observed on the reduction rates after different immersion times. A time interval of 1 to 2 minutes may be an advantage to the minimally vegetable processed industries in order to optimize the process without putting at risk food safety.
Highlights
Washing and disinfection methods used by minimally processed vegetable industries of Southern Brazil were reproduced in laboratory in order to verify their effectiveness to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis SE86 (SE86) on lettuce
The most effective method has been demonstrated by Industry 3, which used washing followed by disinfection with immersion 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 15 minutes and final rinsing
The procedure adopted by Industry 2 showed the lowest microbial reduction on this step (1.21±0.90 log CFU/g), being this difference significantly lower in comparison to the Industries (Student's T-test, p < 0.001 for all) (Table 2)
Summary
Washing and disinfection methods used by minimally processed vegetable industries of Southern Brazil were reproduced in laboratory in order to verify their effectiveness to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis SE86 (SE86) on lettuce. Vegetable and fruits are recommended as an important dietary source of micronutrients, vitamins, and fibers for humans and are vital for health and wellbeing [1] Their consumption has dramatically increased in the past years worldwide, at the same time that increased the number of foodborne diseases associated to these types of foods [2]. A specific strain of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE86) have been identified in several Salmonellosis outbreaks since 1999 to 2013, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Southern Brazil [9,10] This has been one of the most studied foodborne pathogens in Southern Brazil during the last 15 years [10]
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