title: Use of propolis in the sanitization of lettuce.
abstract: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of propolis in reducing the microbial load in ready-to-eat (RTE) and fresh whole head (FWH) lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.) type Batavia. Two sanitizing solutions were employed: sodium hypochlorite (SH) and propolis (PS), during 15 and 30 min. Tap water (TW) was used as a control. Regarding the mean reduction on aerobic mesophiles, psychrotrophic and fecal coliforms, the SH and PS treatments showed the same pattern of variation. In all cases, PS was slightly more effective in the microbiological reduction in comparison with commercial SH. Reductions between two and three log cycles were obtained with PS on aerobic mesophiles and psychrotrophic counts. The information obtained in the present study can be used to evaluate the potential use of propolis as product for sanitizing other vegetables and for developing other food preservation technologies, with impact on human health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-27080 Lugo, Spain. xesus.feas@usc.es.
authors.forename: Xesús
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feás
authors.affiliation: CIMO-Mountain Research Center, Agricultural College of Bragança, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus Santa Apolónia, E 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal. pacheco@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Lazaro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-27002 Lugo, Spain. antonio.iglesias@usc.es.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: CIMO-Mountain Research Center, Agricultural College of Bragança, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus Santa Apolónia, E 5301-855 Bragança, Portugal. leticia@ipb.pt.
authors.forename: Leticia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Estevinho
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018545:Lactuca / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology; D011429:Propolis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D011429:Propolis