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Yu Y, Wang Y, Okonkwo CE, Chen L, Zhou C. Multimode ultrasonic-assisted decontamination of fruits and vegetables: A review. Food Chem 2024; 450:139356. [PMID: 38643647 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are a significant part of our diet consumption. Microbial and pesticide residues are the predominant safety hazards of F&V consumption. Ordinary water washing has a very limited effect on removing microorganisms and pesticide residues and requires high water usage. Ultrasound, as an environmentally friendly technology, shows excellent potential for reducing microbial contamination and pesticide residue. This paper summarizes the research on ultrasound application in F&V washing, including the removal of microbial and pesticide residues and the comprehensive effect on their physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, multimode ultrasonic-assisted techniques like multi-frequency and sequential ultrasound, combined with novel and conventional methods, can enhance the ultrasound-based effect and be more effective and sustainable in preventing F&V from microbial contamination. Overall, this work explicitly establishes the background on the potential for ultrasound cleaning and disinfection in the food industry as a green, effective, and ultimate method of preventing foodborne illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhua Yu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Yuqing Wang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Clinton Emeka Okonkwo
- Department of Food Science, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering, Landmark University, P.M.B. 1001 Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Li Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
| | - Cunshan Zhou
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
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Wang J, Ma S, Zhou N, Yang X, Xing J, Hong J. Using ultrasonic washing combined with UV-LEDs as a novel chemical-free method to disinfect fresh ready-to-eat produce. ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY 2024; 107:106926. [PMID: 38823083 PMCID: PMC11176818 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.106926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
The consumption of ready-to-eat fresh produce raises the issue of food-borne pathogen infections; thus, disinfecting ready-to-eat produce for commercial use, such as in homes and restaurants, is important to ensure food safety. Chemical sanitizers are typically used for disinfection. Ultraviolet-light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) are a novel non-thermal disinfection technology that consumes less energy and generates less heat than traditional UV lamps, making them more appealing to consumers. In this study, we combined ultrasonic (US) washing method with UV-LEDs (US-UV-LEDs) to develop a technique for disinfecting fresh produce without using chemical sanitizers and compared its efficacy with three common household sanitizers ("84" (sodium hypochlorite) disinfectant, kettle descaler (citric acid), and vinegar (acetic acid)). In addition, we investigated the efficacy of this method in controlling pathogen numbers in the water used to wash (washing water) the produce to prevent cross-contamination between water and produce. Cherry tomatoes and lettuce were selected as produce models and Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were used as the bacterial models. The results showed that US-UV-LEDs reduced the numbers of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 on produce by 2.1-2.2 log CFU/g, consistent with the results achieved by the three household sanitizers; however, kettle descaler and vinegar had a limited effect (2.6-3.5 log CFU/mL) on residual pathogens in the washing water. Furthermore, we created washing water with low (754 mg/L) and high (1425 mg/L) chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels and determined the disinfection efficacy of "84" disinfectant and US-UV-LEDs. The results showed that US-UV-LEDs reduced the number of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 by 2.0-2.1 and 1.8-2.1 log CFU/g under low and high COD levels, respectively, which was similar a result to that of "84" disinfectant. However, the residual pathogen numbers in the washing water were reduced to 1.4-1.9 log CFU/mL after treatment with US-UV-LED under high COD, whereas the pathogens were undetected in the washing water disinfected with "84" disinfectant. These results suggest that US-UV-LEDs have better application potential than acidic household sanitizers, but chlorine sanitizer remains the most effective disinfecting method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Wang
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
| | - Sen Ma
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Ning Zhou
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Xiaofei Yang
- College of Grain Science and Technology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034, China
| | - Jun Xing
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Jingyang Hong
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
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Maimaitiyiming R, Yang Y, Mulati A, Aihaiti A, Wang J. The Use of Ultraviolet Irradiation to Improve the Efficacy of Acids That Are Generally Recognized as Safe for Disinfecting Fresh Produce in the Ready-to-Eat Stage. Foods 2024; 13:1723. [PMID: 38890951 PMCID: PMC11171915 DOI: 10.3390/foods13111723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Fresh-cut produce is usually produced under standardized disinfection processes, which are unavailable at the ready-to-eat stage. Currently, chemical sanitizers are used for washing, but their disinfection efficacy is limited. In this study, UV-C (1.03 kJ/m2) was combined with organic acids that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), including citric, malic, acetic, and lactic acids (LAs), to wash lettuce and cherry tomatoes that are contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium. The results showed that LA was the most effective treatment among the single treatments, with a pathogen reduction and cross-contamination incidence of 2.0-2.3 log CFU/g and 28-35%, respectively. After combining with UV-C, the disinfection efficacy and cross-contamination prevention capacity of the four GRAS acids significantly improved. Among the combination treatments, the highest pathogen reduction (2.5-2.7 log CFU/g) and the lowest cross-contamination incidence (11-15%) were achieved by LA-UV. The analyses of ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, lycopene, antioxidant capacity, and ΔE indicated that neither the single nor combination treatments negatively affected the quality properties. These results provide a potential hurdle technology for fresh produce safety improvement at the ready-to-eat stage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jiayi Wang
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
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Alaguthevar R, Packialakshmi JS, Murugesan B, Rhim JW, Thiyagamoorthy U. In-package cold plasma treatment to extend the shelf life of food. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2024; 23:e13318. [PMID: 38532699 DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.13318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Conventional food preservation methods such as heat treatment, irradiation, chemical treatment, refrigeration, and coating have various disadvantages, like loss of food quality, nutrition, and cost-effectiveness. Accordingly, cold plasma is one of the new technologies for food processing and has played an important role in preventing food spoilage. Specifically, in-package cold plasma has become a modern trend to decontaminate, process, and package food simultaneously. This strategy has proven successful in processing various fresh food ingredients, including spinach, fruits, vegetables, and meat. In particular, cold plasma treatment within the package reduces the risk of post-processing contamination. Cryoplasm decontamination within packaging has been reported to reduce significantly the microbial load of many foods' spoilage-causing pathogens. However, studies are needed to focus more on the effects of in-package treatments on endogenous enzyme activity, pest control, and removal of toxic pesticide residues. In this review, we comprehensively evaluated the efficacy of in-package low-temperature plasma treatment to extend the shelf life of various foods. The mechanisms by which cold plasma interacts with food were investigated, emphasizing its effects on pathogen reduction, spoilage mitigation, and surface modification. The review also critically assessed the effects of the treatments on food quality, regulatory considerations, and their potential as viable technologies to improve food safety and packaging life. In-package cold plasma treatment could revolutionize food storage when combined with other sophisticated technologies such as nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramalakshmi Alaguthevar
- Department of Food and Nutrition, BioNanocomposite Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Food Process Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Balakrishnan Murugesan
- Department of Food Process Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Jong-Whan Rhim
- Department of Food and Nutrition, BioNanocomposite Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - UmaMaheshwari Thiyagamoorthy
- Department of Food and Nutrition, BioNanocomposite Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ADAC & RI, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
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Zhang H, Zhang C, Han Q. Mechanisms of bacterial inhibition and tolerance around cold atmospheric plasma. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023:10.1007/s00253-023-12618-w. [PMID: 37421472 PMCID: PMC10390405 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12618-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
The grim situation of bacterial infection has undoubtedly become a major threat to human health. In the context of frequent use of antibiotics, a new bactericidal method is urgently needed to fight against drug-resistant bacteria caused by non-standard use of antibiotics. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is composed of a variety of bactericidal species, which has excellent bactericidal effect on microbes. However, the mechanism of interaction between CAP and bacteria is not completely clear. In this paper, we summarize the mechanisms of bacterial killing by CAP in a systematic manner, discuss the responses of bacteria to CAP treatment that are considered to be related to tolerance and their underlying mechanisms, review the recent advances in bactericidal applications of CAP finally. This review indicates that CAP inhibition and tolerance of survival bacteria are a set of closely related mechanisms and suggests that there might be other mechanisms of tolerance to survival bacteria that had not been discovered yet. In conclusion, this review shows that CAP has complex and diverse bactericidal mechanisms, and has excellent bactericidal effect on bacteria at appropriate doses. KEY POINTS: • The bactericidal mechanism of CAP is complex and diverse. • There are few resistant bacteria but tolerant bacteria during CAP treatment. • There is excellent germicidal effect when CAP in combination with other disinfectants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengxi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Han
- Department of Oral Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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Non-thermal techniques and the “hurdle” approach: How is food technology evolving? Trends Food Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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