H7 In Solutions Research Articles

Enhanced Chlorine Efficacy against Bacterial Pathogens in Wash Solution with High Organic Loads

Chlorine is widely used as a sanitizer in commercial fresh-cut produce wash operations. However, chlorine reacts rapidly with organic materials, leading to potential pathogen survival when chlorine concentration nears depletion. This study evaluated a new process aid, T128, for its capacity to enhance chlorine efficacy against Escherichia coli O157:H7 in solutions with high organic loads. Chlorine solutions were prepared with either T128 or citric acid (control) to adjust pH. Survival of E. coli O157:H7 was assayed during washing of increasing amounts of shredded lettuce, or addition of lettuce juice as organic load. The application of T128 significantly reduced survival of E. coli O157:H7 when free chlorine in solution decreased to levels approaching depletion. In the presence of T128, no pathogen survival was observed with the free chlorine concentration as low as 0.05 mg/L, while 0.4 mg/L free chlorine was required to kill pathogens in the absence of T128 in the wash solution. Practical Applications The foodborne illness outbreaks that plague the fresh-cut produce industry are a testament to the need for a more effective sanitizer to prevent pathogen survival and cross contamination in commercial produce wash systems with large influxes of organic matter. This paper reports the investigation of the effect of a new process aid, T128, on reducing the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in wash solutions in which chlorine is near depletion due to high organic load, and thus the potential to improve the safety margin of fresh-cut process control.

THE CAPTURE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 FOR LIGHT ADDRESSABLE POTENTIOMETRIC SENSOR (LAPS) USING TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF MAGNETIC BEADS1

Two types of commercially available, streptavidin‐coated magnetic beads (SAMB) were labeled with the same biotinylated anti E. coli O157 antibodies. Labeled SAMB and other necessary antibody derivatives needed for Light‐addressable Potentiometric Sensor (LAPS) detection were used to capture E. coli O157:H7 in solution. The LAPS signal intensity was then used to determine the overall bacterial capture efficiency. The static and hydrodynamic properties of the beads were then used to correlate with determined efficiencies. It was found that the capture increased as the total mass of SAMB increased. Also, greater capture with SAMB of a higher density was observed with the same bead mass. In addition, the SAMB of higher density also required less time of rocking to reach a maximum capture. These observations are in agreement with the predictions from the hydrodynamic properties of tested SAMB.

Fate of foodborne bacterial pathogens in pesticide products

AbstractThe effects of diluting concentrated pesticide products with water containing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (human, bovine and ground meat strains), Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri and Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. Individual cultures were inoculated at about 102 colony‐forming units (cfu) ml−1 into the following commercial pesticide products—Roundup, Poast & Merge, Gramoxone, Afolan, 2,4‐D amine, Dithane M45, Benlate, Bravo 500, Ridomil 240EC, Thiram 75WP, Sevin XLR+, Lorsban 4E, Diazinon 500, Ambush 500EC and Lagon 480E—following dilution with sterile tap water to recommended spray application concentrations (pesticide solution). Following incubation at 22 °C for 1 h, survivor levels for all three E coli O157:H7 strains in pesticide solutions of Roundup, Poast & Merge, Gramoxone, Dithane M45, Ridomil 240EC and Lagon 480E were lower (P ≤ 0.05) compared to their survival in water. In several pesticide solutions (Afolan, Bravo 500, Lorsban 4E and Ambush 500EC), survivor levels were no different (P≥0.05) from the control after 1 h; however, by 24 h, population levels of all strains in these four pesticide solutions were higher (P ≤ 0.05) than those observed at 1 h. Overall, similar survivor or growth patterns were observed with the remaining bacteria, with the exception of S flexneri. For this bacterium, survival or growth was poor, especially in Bravo 500, which consistently supported substantial growth of the other micro‐organisms. Time course growth studies over 96 h at 22 °C were conducted with Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria and E coli O157:H7 in solutions of Afolan, Bravo 500, Lorsban 4E and Ambush 500EC. Overall, a 100 to 1060‐fold increase in population was usually obtained in these pesticide solutions by 96 h. Changes in either the initial inoculum level of E coli O157:H7 from about 102 to 104 cfu ml−1 or temperature (from 20–22 to 31 °C) and concentration (from 0.5 to 1.5 times the recommended spray concentration) were shown to affect its growth in the pesticide solutions. The findings of this study indicate that some pesticide products, when diluted using contaminated water, may have the potential to promote growth of pathogens which could increase the risk of more widespread contamination of standing crops, including fruits.© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry

Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using immunomagnetic capture and luciferin-luciferase ATP measurement

A procedure for rapid assay (about 30 min) of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 in solutions is described. The bacteria, captured by specific immunomagnetic beads, were lysed by commercially available reagents. The released cellular ATP was determined by the chemiluminescence method using firefly lantern extracts. The ATP content of the E. coli capable of consuming oxygen was influenced by the presence of glucose. The immunomagnetic procedure was applied to determine the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in beef hamburger spiked with the bacteria. After a 6-h enrichment at 37°C, significant ATP luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence was detected from beef hamburger suspensions spiked with less than one CFU/ml of the E. coli. Possible utilization of the developed procedure for practical application is discussed.