Adhesion and removal of E. coli K12 as affected by leafy green produce epicuticular wax composition, surface roughness, produce and bacterial surface hydrophobicity, and sanitizers.

Adhesion and removal of E. coli K12 as affected by leafy green produce epicuticular wax composition, surface roughness, produce and bacterial surface hydrophobicity, and sanitizers. Int J Food Microbiol. 2020 Aug 20;334:108834 Authors: Palma-Salgado S, Ku KM, Dong M, Nguyen TH, Juvik JA, Feng H Abstract Contaminated leafy vegetables have been associated with high-profile outbreaks causing severe illnesses. A good understanding of the interactions between human pathogen and produce is important for developing improved food safety control strategies. Currently, the role played by produce surface physiochemical characteristics in such interactions is not well-understood. This work was performed to examine the effects of produce physiochemical characteristics, including surface roughness, epicuticular wax composition, and produce and bacteria surface hydrophobicity on attachment and removal of vegetative bacteria. Escherichia coli K12 was used as a model microorganism to evaluate attachment to and removal from five leafy green vegetables after washing with selected sanitizers. A detailed epicuticular wax component analysis was conducted and the changes of wax composition after sanitation were also evaluated. The results showed that E. coli K12 removal is positively correlated with alkanes, ketones, and total wax content on leaf surfaces. Vegetables with high surface wax content had less rough leaf surfaces and more bacterial removal than...
Source: International Journal of Food Microbiology - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Int J Food Microbiol Source Type: research