Effectiveness of Washing Procedures in ReducingSalmonella entericaandListeria monocytogeneson a Raw Leafy Green Vegetable (Eruca vesicaria).
Vegetables are an important source of nutrients, but they can host a large microbial population, particularly bacteria. Foodborne pathogens can contaminate raw vegetables at any stage of their production process with a potential for human infection. Appropriate washing can mitigate the risk of foodborne illness consequent to vegetable consumption by reducing pathogen levels, but few data are available to assess the efficacy of different practices. In the present work, six different washing methods, in the presence or absence of sanitisers (peracetic acid and percitric acid, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hypochlorite) and vinegar, were tested for their effectiveness in reducingSalmonellaandListeriacounts after artificial contamination of raw rocket (Eruca vesicaria). Results showed that washing with sodium hypochlorite (200 mg/L) was the only method able to produce a significant 2 Log reduction ofSalmonellacounts, but only in the case of high initial contamination (7 Log CFU/g), suggesting potential harmful effects for consumers could occur. In the case ofListeria monocytogenes, all the examined washing methods were effective, with 200 mg/L sodium hypochlorite solution and a solution of peracetic and percitric acids displaying the best performances (2 and 1.5 Log reductions, respectively). This highlights the importance of targeting consumers on fit for purpose and safe washing practices to circumvent vegetable contamination by foodborne pathogens.
Optimization and Control of Food Production Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie San Donà di Piave, Italy.
Alessandra
A
Pezzuto
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieLegnaro, Italy; Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, Università di PadovaPadova, Italy.
Simone
S
Belluco
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
Carmen
C
Losasso
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieLegnaro, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, Università di PadovaPadova, Italy.
Ilaria
I
Patuzzi
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
Paola
P
Bordin
Optimization and Control of Food Production Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie San Donà di Piave, Italy.
Alessia
A
Piovesana
Optimization and Control of Food Production Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie San Donà di Piave, Italy.
Damiano
D
Comin
Optimization and Control of Food Production Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie San Donà di Piave, Italy.
Renzo
R
Mioni
Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
Antonia
A
Ricci
Listeria; Salmonella; consumer phase; food safety; fresh produce; microbiological risk