Combined Effect of Low-Dose Irradiation and Acidified Sodium Chlorite Washing on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Inoculated on Mung Bean Seeds

Decontamination of Chia and Flax Seed Inoculated with Salmonella and Surrogate, Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354, Using a Peracetic Acid Sanitizing Solution: Antimicrobial Efficacy and Impact on Seed Functionality

Raw chia and flax seeds are increasingly associated with Salmonella contamination. However, intervention technologies for these seeds that maintain them in a raw state, without causing clumping because of mucilage production upon moisture exposure, are limited. In this study, a commercial ethanol and paracetic acid sanitizing solution meeting these criteria was evaluated for efficacy against Salmonella and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354, a known Salmonella surrogate for thermal intervention technologies. Samples (100 g each) of chia and flax seeds ( n = 5) were inoculated with either a cocktail of Salmonella Newport, Senftenberg, Oranienburg, Saintpaul, Typhimurium DT104, and Cubana or E. faecium NRRL B-2354. After overnight acclimatization, samples were treated with 4 mL of sanitizing solution per sample and then held at ambient temperature (20 to 25°C) for 1 h before bacterial enumeration. Separate 1-kg-treated batches were evaluated for germination ability (4 replicates of 100-g samples), as well as nutrient content and rancidity ( n = 3), compared with untreated control. Following the posttreatment holding time, these batches were dried back to original moisture content at 70°C to evaporate residual sanitizing solution, thereby stopping treatment. The sanitizing solution was found to be an effective intervention method for chia and flax seeds, reducing Salmonella to below the level of detection by more than 4 and more than 5 average log CFU/g, respectively. Germination was not significantly affected ( P ≥ 0.05) for chia seed. For both seeds, nutrition and rancidity were not significantly affected ( P ≥ 0.05). Furthermore, E. faecium NRRL B-2354 was found to be an appropriate Salmonella surrogate for treatment of chia and flax seeds with this sanitizing solution, showing comparable but higher resistance to treatment with the sanitizing solution than the Salmonella cocktail.

Outbreaks caused by sprouts, United States, 1998-2010: lessons learned and solutions needed

After a series of outbreaks associated with sprouts in the mid-1990s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published guidelines in 1999 for sprouts producers to reduce the risk of contamination. The recommendations included treating seeds with an antimicrobial agent such as calcium hypochlorite solution and testing spent irrigation water for pathogens. From 1998 through 2010, 33 outbreaks from seed and bean sprouts were documented in the United States, affecting 1330 reported persons. Twenty-eight outbreaks were caused by Salmonella, four by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, and one by Listeria. In 15 of the 18 outbreaks with information available, growers had not followed key FDA guidelines. In three outbreaks, however, the implicated sprouts were produced by firms that appeared to have implemented key FDA guidelines. Although seed chlorination, if consistently applied, reduces pathogen burden on sprouts, it does not eliminate the risk of human infection. Further seed and sprouts disinfection technologies, some recently developed, will be needed to enhance sprouts safety and reduce human disease. Improved seed production practices could also decrease pathogen burden but, because seeds are a globally distributed commodity, will require international cooperation.

Current intervention strategies for the microbial safety of sprouts

Sprouts have gained popularity worldwide due to their nutritional values and health benefits. The fact that their consumption has been associated with numerous outbreaks of foodborne illness threatens the $250 million market that this industry has established in the United States. Therefore, sprout manufacturers have utilized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended application of 20,000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite solution to seeds before germination as a preventative method. Concentrations of up to 200 ppm of chlorine wash are also commonly used on sprouts. However, chlorine-based treatment achieves on average only 1- to 3-log reductions in bacteria and is associated with negative health and environmental issues. The search for alternative strategies has been widespread, involving chemical, biological, physical, and hurdle processes that can achieve up to 7-log reductions in bacteria in some cases. The compilation here of the current scientific data related to these techniques is used to compare their efficacy for ensuring the microbial safety of sprouts and their practicality for commercial producers. Of specific importance for alternative seed and sprout treatments is maintaining the industry-accepted germination rate of 95% and the sensorial attributes of the final product. This review provides an evaluation of suggested decontamination technologies for seeds and sprouts before, during, and after germination and concludes that thermal inactivation of seeds and irradiation of sprouts are the most practical stand-alone microbial safety interventions for sprout production.