title: Combined effects of thermosonication and slightly acidic electrolyzed water on the microbial quality and shelf life extension of fresh-cut kale during refrigeration storage.
abstract: This study evaluated the efficacy of thermosonication combined with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAcEW) on the shelf life extension of fresh-cut kale during storage at 4 and 7 °C. Each kale (10 ± 0.2 g) was inoculated to contain approximately 6 log CFU/g of Listeria monocytogenes. Each inoculated or uninoculated samples was dip treated at 40 °C for 3 min with deionized water, thermosonication (400 W/L), SAcEW (5 mg/L), sodium chlorite (SC; 100 mg/L), sodium hypochlorite (SH; 100 mg/L), and thermosonication combined with SAcEW, SC, and SH (TS + SAcEW, TS + SC, and TS + SH, respectively). Growths of L. monocytogenes and spoilage microorganisms and changes in sensory (overall visual quality, browning, and off-odour) were evaluated. The results show that lag time and specific growth rate of each microorganism were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by treatment and storage temperature. Exceeding the unacceptable counts of spoilage microorganisms did not always result in adverse effects on sensory attributes. This study suggests that TS + SAcEW was the most effective method to prolong the shelf life of kale with an extension of around 4 and 6 days at 4 and 7 °C, respectively, and seems to be a promising method for the shelf life extension of fresh produce.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, School of Bioconvergence Science and Technology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ahmad Rois
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mansur
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, School of Bioconvergence Science and Technology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200-701, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: deoghwa@kangwon.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Deog-Hwan
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D001937:Brassica / Q000382:microbiology*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004572:Electrolysis; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D063427:Food Quality; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D012034:Refrigeration; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000494:pharmacology; D013010:Sonication; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D014867:Water; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite; C001599:chlorite
keywords: Fresh-cut kale; Microbial quality; Sensory shelf life; Slightly acidic electrolyzed water; Thermosonication