Food Sanitizer Research Articles

Variations in Food Safety Concerns, Hygiene Practices, and Purchasing Behaviors During Pandemic Era: What We Learnt from Coronavirus Disease 2019.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the food safety concerns, purchasing behaviors, and hygiene practices of individuals who contracted and did not contract the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A total of 2393 individuals 18-65 years years of age, 760 who contracted and 1633 who did not contract SARS-CoV-2 infection, participated in the study. Participants were administered a questionnaire to assess demographic information, food safety concerns, hygiene practices, purchasing behavior, and fear of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Results indicated that 56.3% of participants expressed concern about food safety, and 67% were concerned about infected individuals while shopping. Participants who did not contract COVID-19 had higher levels of food safety concerns and generally adhered to better hygiene practices such as handwashing, hygienic food preparation, sanitizer use, and cleaning and disinfection practices (p < 0.05). Overall, purchasing behaviors did not significantly differ by the infection status, except for a significant difference in reduced purchase frequency (p < 0.001). In addition, purchasing behavior varied in relation to fear levels (p < 0.05). As the pandemic appears to be increasingly controlled, the insights gained from managing outbreaks might contribute to improved understanding and preparedness for global pandemics and food safety education in the future.

Efektivitas Edible Coating Spray Gel Lidah Buaya (Aloe vera) dan Daun Sirih (Piper betle) Sebagai Sanitizer Pangan

Betel leaf and aloe vera have antibacterial properties as evidenced by the presence of active substances and other organic compounds. The antibacterial activity of both plants was influenced by the presence of secondary metabolites such as glucomannan and phenol in aloe vera and phenol, saponin and flavonoid in betel leaf. This study was conducted to determine the mechanism and activity of the combination of aloe vera gel and betel leaf in the form of edible coating spray as a food sanitizer. The method used is a true experimental design in vitro with a completely randomized design. Then, to test the performance of antibacterial activity, the paper disc diffusion method was used against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. The results showed that there was an inhibitory activity of the preparation against the two test bacteria. The largest inhibition zone was owned by the preparation with a concentration of 100% with a very strong inhibition category against Escherichia coli and a strong category for Staphylococcus aureus. One way ANOVA test followed by Post Hoc Test showed a significant number of p &lt;0.05 which represented a significant difference in fruit rot against the control treatment with a concentration of 100%, while against the control treatment with a concentration of 50% and a concentration of 30% there was no significant difference. Based on the results of this study, the preparation in the form of edible coating spray is effective in increasing food security during the pandemic and reducing losses for fruits and vegetables.

Draft genome sequences of a historical collection of Listeria monocytogenes from humans and other sources, 1926-1964.

Listeria monocytogenes can persistently contaminate food processing environments and tolerate sanitizers. Most sequenced strains are from clinical and environmental sources in the contemporary era, with relatively few prior to extensive food processing and sanitizer use. We report the genome sequences of a diverse panel of 83 strains from 1926 to 1964.

Development of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) Based Food Sanitizer

Although minimally processed food contains more beneficial nutrients, it is one of the largest sources of food-borne diseases. Therefore, this research aims to develop the efficiency of food sanitizer, targeted toward fresh food products using a green chemistry approach. The cinnamon and clove were extracted using water distillation and ethanol extraction with the green technique. The extracts were characterized for antimicrobial activity and incorporated into basic food sanitizer formulation. The solution's color and stability were evaluated and the sanitizer was applied to decontaminate fresh strawberries. The total microbial load before and after the application was also compared to determine the effectiveness of the food sanitizer. Based on the results, all the extracts showed high effectiveness in inhibiting various spoilage microorganisms that exist in food produced with water distillation. The extracts also showed better ability when incorporated into a water-based sanitizer. All the developed food sanitizers can reduce the microbial load of the fresh produce by 4 log per 5 minutes of contact time. Meanwhile, the water-distilled clove extract showed the most effectiveness, decreasing microbial log by 3.93±0.07 log CFU g&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; of bacteria load and 4.37±0.14 log CFU g&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; of mold load, respectively which performed good dispersion stability for approximately 10 days of observation. This indicated that food sanitizer using water-distilled clove extract could be applied as a good alternative to chemical-based sanitizer.

Unraveling the mechanism of the synergistic antimicrobial effect of cineole and carvacrol on Escherichia coli O157:H7 inhibition and its application on fresh-cut cucumbers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of the synergistic antimicrobial effect of cineole (CN) and carvacrol (CR) on E. coli and its application on fresh-cut cucumbers. Herein, the CN/CR synergy could effectively inhibit E. coli by destroying its bacterial cell structure and causing the leakage of intracellular organic matters. For the first time, CN/CR synergy interaction on E. coli DNA and the possible mechanism of action on bacterial genetic material was revealed at the molecular level by molecular docking technology. Furthermore, CN/CR could significantly inhibit E. coli biofilm, mobility, and exopolysaccharides (EPS) production (p < 0.05). Supporting these findings, CN/CR suppressed E coli virulence genes shiga toxin (stx1), intimin (eae), flagella regulation (flhD), and AI-2 quorum-sensing gene (luxS) at transcriptional levels. Finally, CN/CR application at 1MIC+1MIC was satisfactory in significantly inhibiting E. coli on fresh-cut cucumbers but had a sensorial defect. Moreover, CN/CR at ½MIC+½MIC were generally acceptable with a better sensorial score. This study thus confirmed the CN/CR antimicrobial efficacy and maybe used as an alternative natural food sanitizer of fresh produce.

Antimicrobial activity of Thymus zygis essential oil against Listeria monocytogenes and its application as food preservative

Thymus zygis is an aromatic plant used in folk medicine. This work aimed to evaluate the anti-Listeria monocytogenes activity of T. zygis essential oil (EO), whose thymol is its major compound. Furthermore, the attenuation of this bacterium's virulence, namely by the inhibition of biofilm formation, motility and invasion of human cells, and the possible application of the EO in food were evaluated. The T. zygis EO showed antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.05%, while showing a bactericidal effect. The EO significantly reduced the biofilm formation (inhibition from 16.85 to 89.86%) and motility (halos between 6.66 and 10.98 mm, compared to controls 13.12 to 17.22 mm), and not inducing cross-resistance to antibiotics, such as ampicillin, cefotaxime, erythromycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and vancomycin. L. monocytogenes counts (initial inoculum of ~106 CFU/mL) were lowered by the use of 2× MIC of T. zygis EO in the chicken juice (1.53 log CFU/mL) and lettuce model (to below the detection limit) after two days of storage. The use of EO (0.2% (v/v)) for sanitizing fresh vegetables, reduce L. monocytogenes and natural microbiota for values below the detection limit of the method for iceberg lettuce after an immersion of 5 min. For the spinach, L. monocytogenes was reduced in 4.35 log CFU/mL and the natural microbiota was diminished in a range of 4.47 to 5.94 log CFU/mL, when compared with the washing with water. Overall, the T. zygis EO has demonstrated a promising antimicrobial activity and these findings point to the potential of the EO as a natural food preservative or sanitizer for controlling L. monocytogenes in food products.

Biosurfactant production by Lactobacillus plantarum MGL-8 from mango waste.

Enhancing biosurfactant production from indigenous Lactobacillus plantarum MGL-8 using mango waste substrate, and evaluating its characteristics as food sanitizer. Mango juice (a mixture of mango paste, sucrose, glycerol and deionized water) was used for batch fermentation with L. plantarum MGL-8 (L-MJ) and uninoculated (MC-MJ). Agitation, aeration and temperature were controlled. Maximum lactic acid bacteria (LAB) growth was observed in MC-MJ and L-MJ at 48h, and the L-MJ fermentation provided the highest biosurfactant yield of 4.22gL-1 at 120h. The dried crude biosurfactant (BSF) provided surface tension 36.6mNm-1 , a maximum emulsification index (E24%) of 41% and zone of inhibition of 15.53mm. Preliminary characterization by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) indicated a multi-component glycolipoprotein BSF associated with fatty dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, proteins and polysaccharides. The BSF also displayed bactericidal activity against Listeria monocytogenes at 400μgml-1 . Mango waste substrate enhanced biosurfactant production by indigenous L. plantarum MGL-8. The study identifies a production process and characteristics of the biosurfactant, which can be employed as a food sanitizer.

Recent progress in the application of plasma-activated water (PAW) for food decontamination

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a novel and promising alternative to traditional food sanitizers. Recently, the inactivation efficacy of PAW has been demonstrated on a wide range of food products against foodborne pathogens , spoilage microorganisms, and harmful chemicals. The effectiveness of PAW relies on various factors related to the plasma generation mechanisms, the target microorganisms, and the food matrix. The inactivation mechanisms of PAW are attributed to the damage of cell integrity and intracellular components by various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Utilization of plasma-activated liquids and hurdle technologies can enhance the inactivation efficacy and diversify the application of this technology. Scaling-up of PAW is still at the very beginning stage and needs further studies before industrial application.

Rapid Multielemental Inductively Coupled Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectrometric (ICP-AES) Method for the Assessment of the Quality of Flower Waters

Flower waters, also known as aromatic waters, hydrosols, or herbal distillates, are typically considered to be by-products of essential oil. However, because of their bioactive content, flower waters currently exhibit various applications in the food industry as flavoring agents and food sanitizers. In this study, inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was employed for the assessment of the elemental composition (i.e., Ag, Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) of several flower waters. The reported method was optimized and validated in terms of linearity, limits of detections (LODs), limits of quantifications (LOQs), accuracy, and precision. The relative recoveries of the proposed method were between 80.0% and 120.0%, while the relative standard deviation values were less than 9.8%. The LODs and LOQs of the ICP-AES method ranged between 0.8 μg L−1(Cr) - 73.5 μg L−1 (Al), and between 2.5 μg L−1 (Cr) - 245.0 μg L−1 (Al), respectively . The validated ICP-AES method was successfully employed for the analysis of a variety of flower water samples.

Application of Electrolyzed Water as Food Sanitizer

Application of Electrolyzed Water as Food Sanitizer

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Pelargonic Acid\xa0Micelles against Salmonella varies by Surfactant, Serotype and Stress Response

The antimicrobial properties of Pelargonic acid (PA), a component of tomatoes, makes it an attractive candidate as a food additive and sanitizer. The antimicrobial efficacy of PA emulsions generated using surfactants: Tween 80, Triton X100, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Quillaja Saponin was evaluated against Salmonella serotypes Newport, Oranienburg and Typhimurium. Micelle/dropletsize, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined. Surfactant type and concentration significantly influenced the antimicrobial efficacy of PA (p < 0.05). Overall, Salmonella Newport was the most (p < 0.05) susceptible serotype to PA emulsions. PA emulsions generated with 1.00% SDS had the highest (p < 0.05) antimicrobial activity, with MIC of 7.82 mM against S. Newport and 15.62 mM against S. Oranienburg/S. Typhimurium, respectively. Addition of PA to Trypticase Soy Broth resulted in a decreased growth rate and an increased lag phase duration. Cells exposed to PA formed elongated filaments (>5 µm). Additionally, Salmonella serotypes Typhimurium and Newport also formed floccular biofilms. PA emulsions at a concentration of 31.25 mM generated using 1% SDS and 1% Quillaja saponin resulted in >6 log CFU/ml reduction in Salmonella population. Althought all PA emulsions evalauted inhibited Salmonella, morphological changes to this antimicrobial varied substantially among the Salmonella serotypes tested.

Toxicity Analysis of Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp. Leaves Extract and Its Stability against Different pH and Temperature

Food sanitizer is important to reduce or eliminate microbial population on the food surface and also to removes dirt. Nowadays, food sanitizer is basically from chemical base. Therefore, this study was to evaluate the toxicity level of S. polyanthum and its stability against different pHs and different temperatures in determining the suitability of leaves extract as natural food sanitizer. Leaves extract was adjusted to pH 3, pH 7, pH 11 conditions and exposed to temperatures at 30°C, 50°C and 80°C for 15 min each. Treated extracts were tested for their antimicrobial properties in term of MICs and MBCs. Toxicity level of S. polyanthum was determined by brine shrimp lethality assay. As a result, antimicrobial activities of S. polyanthum extract was not affected by different pHs and temperatures while toxicity study demonstrated that S. polyanthum, extract was not toxic to Artemia salina with LC50 was 75.85 mg/mL. Therefore, S. polyanthum had the potential to be developed as antimicrobial agent in food sanitizer.

Comparison of commercially available food decontaminants with established methods of decontamination for household practices which are used to keep foods safe

The microbiological safety of food has been a major concern in Bangladesh following several reports of food borne outbreaks associated with contaminated food and vegetables. To minimize the outbreak, several studies suggested that decontamination is necessary before cooking. Washing with water is the most common technique for decontamination in Bangladesh. In order to ensure food safety, the use of different food washing agents is also becoming popular day by day. For this reason, this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of various sanitizers and treatment method for decontamination. In this study, several decontamination methods including washing with hot water, cold water, salt water, vinegar and commercially available food sanitizer to evaluate for their efficacy against different microorganisms. Here, salad vegetables were washed with various sanitizers and then microbiological analysis was done to reveal the bacterial and fungal load. This study revealed that most of the sanitizing methods were able to reduce microbial load minimum by 2 log CFU/g. Vinegar and hot water wash were the most effective method of decontamination compare to others with the former showing a 3 log CFU/g reduction. This can be concluded that common items like the use of vinegar and hot water were more effective than the commercial decontaminating agents available.

Utilização de ácidos orgânicos como alternativa para higienização de alimentos: uma revisão integrativa

Os alimentos apresentam em sua composição uma microbiota natural. O grande impasse está em impedir a colonização natural por esta microbiota. Os ácidos orgânicos são constituintes naturais de muitos alimentos e são amplamente utilizados como aditivos conservantes devido sua atividade antimicrobiana. A metodologia consistiu em uma revisão integrativa buscando estudos relatando a utilização dos ácidos orgânicos como agente sanitizante de alimentos. Ao final da pesquisa obtiveram-se 10 artigos que foram analisados e discutidos de acordo com cada ácido orgânico. A depender de sua natureza, concentração e tempo de tratamento, os ácidos orgânicos possuem uma potencial aplicação como sanitizantes para alimentos.

Low-concentration Sorbic Acid Promotes the Induction of Escherichia coli into a Viable but Nonculturable State.

The effect of food preservatives and sanitizers at low concentrations on the induction of Escherichia coli into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state was investigated. When E. coli was incubated in physiological saline at 37℃, the viable cell count measured by plate counting was approximately 3-logs lower than that measured by flow cytometry after 30 days. This difference, and morphological changes in cells, confirmed the transition of E. coli into a VBNC state. Adding 10 μg/l of sorbic acid significantly promoted the induction of E. coli into a VBNC state. This effect was not seen with benzoic acid or sodium hypochlorite at the same concentration. Resuscitation of E. coli VBNC cells was successful when they were grown in nutrient broth containing sodium pyruvate. These results suggest that the presence of low concentrations of food additives in a food manufacturing environment may act as potential triggers for bacterial VBNC induction.

Characterization of Virucidal Activities of Chlorous Acid.

Virucidal effects of chlorous acid on enveloped and non-enveloped viruses were characterized. The virucidal activity was prominent in enveloped viruses. However, among non-enveloped viruses, viruses such as human rhinovirus and feline calicivirus showed a significant sensitivity to the reagent, whereas others such as poliovirus and coxsackievirus showed a weak sensitivity to the reagent, suggesting the presence of 2 classes of sensitivity to the reagent, among non-enveloped viruses. In addition, characterization of the mode of inactivation by the reagent revealed that virus inactivation is strongly dependent on virus species, contaminated proteins, and solvent system composition. Comparison of the cytotoxic effects of chlorous acid with those of sodium hypochlorite or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) revealed that chlorous acid was similar to SDS and remarkably weaker than sodium hypochlorite. These results indicate the unique nature of chlorous acid as a potent virucidal agent with tolerable tissue damage, and reveal the merits and limitations of chlorous acid as a disinfectant in food hygiene and sanitizer in healthcare.

Differential Effect of Food Sanitizers on Formation of Viable but Nonculturable Salmonella enterica in Poultry

A method for microscopic enumeration of viable Salmonella enterica in meat samples was developed by using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight kit technology. A two-step centrifugation and wash process was developed to clean the samples from food and chemical impurities that might otherwise interfere with the appropriate staining reactions. The accuracy of the BacLight kit-based viability assessments was confirmed with various validation tests that were conducted by following the manufacturer's instructions. For the biocide challenge tests, chicken parts each bearing around 8.5 log of S. enterica were sprayed with common food sanitizers such as 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH), lactic acid (LA), and peracetic acid (PAA). The log reduction (LR) of S. enterica for each test biocide was evaluated by microscopic and conventional culture plate methods. The results show that both LA and PAA treatments generated a greater number of microscopic counts compared with the corresponding plate counts with differences being around half a log. This discrepancy is believed to occur when cells enter a so-called viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, and to our knowledge, this is the first report documenting the presence of VBNC in PAA- and LA-treated food samples. In contrast, the BacLight-based viable counts were comparable to the culture-based enumerations of all DBDMH-treated samples. Therefore, we concluded that DBDMH-treated meat did not contain significant VBNC populations of S. enterica. A detailed description of our spray system, the dye validation, and the treatment reproducibility are also provided in this work.

Antibacterial Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Syzygium polyanthum L. (Salam) Leaves against Foodborne Pathogens and Application as Food Sanitizer.

The aim of this study was to determine antibacterial activity of S. polyanthum L. (salam) leaves extract foodborne pathogens. All the foodborne pathogens were inhibited after treating with extract in disk diffusion test with range 6.67 ± 0.58–9.67 ± 0.58 mm of inhibition zone. The range of MIC values was between 0.63 and 1.25 mg/mL whereas MBC values were in the range 0.63 mg/mL to 2.50 mg/mL. In time-kill curve, L. monocytogenes and P. aeruginosa were found completely killed after exposing to extract in 1 h incubation at 4x MIC. Four hours had been taken to completely kill E. coli, S. aureus, V. cholerae, and V. parahaemolyticus at 4x MIC. However, the population of K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, and S. typhimurium only reduced to 3 log CFU/mL. The treated cell showed cell rupture and leakage of the cell cytoplasm in SEM observation. The significant reduction of natural microflora in grapes fruit was started at 0.50% of extract at 5 min and this concentration also was parallel to sensory attributes acceptability where application of extract was accepted by the panellists until 5%. In conclusion, S. polyanthum extract exhibits antimicrobial activities and thus might be developed as natural sanitizer for washing raw food materials.

Polydiacetylene sensor interaction with food sanitizers and surfactants.

Polydiacetylene (PDA) vesicles are of interest as biosensors, particularly for pathogenic bacteria. As part of a food monitoring system, interaction with food sanitizers/surfactants was investigated. PDA vesicles were prepared by inkjet-printing, photopolymerized and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The optical response of PDA vesicles at various concentrations verses a fixed sanitizer/surfactant concentration was determined using a two variable factorial design. Sanitizer/surfactant response at various concentrations over time was also measured. Results indicated that only Vigilquat and TritonX-100 interacted with PDA vesicles giving visible colour change out of 8 sanitizers/surfactants tested. PDA vesicle concentration, sanitizer/surfactant concentration, and time all had a significant (P<0.0001) effect on colour change. As they are highly sensitive to the presence of Vigilquat and TritonX-100, PDA sensors could be used to detect chemical residues as well as for detection of various contaminants in the food industry.

Effect of Leaf Surface Chemical Properties on Efficacy of Sanitizer for Rotavirus Inactivation.

Food sanitizer efficacies are affected by the surface properties of vegetables. This study evaluated the disinfection efficacies of two food sanitizers, an oxidant-based sanitizer and a surfactant-based sanitizer, on porcine rotavirus strain OSU adhering to the leaf epicuticular surfaces of high- and low-wax-content cultivars. The disinfection efficacy of the oxidant-based sanitizer was affected by the surface properties of the vegetables, while the surfactant-based sanitizer was effective for both high- and low-wax leafy vegetable cultivars. This study suggests that the surface properties of vegetables may be an important factor that interacts with disinfection with food sanitizers of rotaviruses adhering to fresh produce.