title: Efficacy of oxidizing disinfectants at inactivating murine norovirus on ready-to-eat foods.
abstract: Noroviruses are the leading cause of foodborne illness, and ready-to-eat foods are frequent vehicles of their transmission. Studies of the disinfection of fruits and vegetables are becoming numerous. It has been shown that strong oxidizing agents are more effective than other chemical disinfectants for inactivating enteric viruses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oxidizing disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite, chloride dioxide and peracetic acid) at inactivating noroviruses on fruits and vegetables, using a norovirus surrogate, namely murine norovirus 3, which replicates in cell culture. Based on plaque assay, solutions of peracetic acid (85 ppm) and chlorine dioxide (20 ppm) reduced the infectivity of the virus in suspension by at least 3 log10 units after 1 min, while sodium hypochlorite at 50 ppm produced a 2-log reduction. On the surface of blueberries, strawberries and lettuce, chlorine dioxide was less effective than peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite, which reduced viral titers by approximately 4 logs. A surprising increase in the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite on surfaces fouled with artificial feces was noted.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Maryline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girard
authors.affiliation: Health Canada, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mattison
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fliss
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address: julie.jean@fsaa.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jean
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000821:virology; D002460:Cell Line; D017606:Chlorine Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000821:virology; D031985:Fragaria / Q000821:virology; D005638:Fruit / Q000821:virology; D018545:Lactuca / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D029322:Norovirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010463:Peracetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014675:Vegetables / Q000821:virology; D038301:Virus Inactivation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D017606:Chlorine Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants; D010087:Oxides; C025109:chlorine dioxide; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite; D010463:Peracetic Acid
keywords: Norovirus; Oxidizing disinfectant; Ready-to-eat foods