The antimicrobial potential of cauliflower, broccoli, and okara byproducts was assessed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b growth behavior was assessed under exposure to 5% vegetable byproducts added to the reference medium, buffered peptone water (0.1% [wt/vol]), at 37°C. Although the byproducts were not effective against L. monocytogenes, they were bactericidal against Salmonella Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, and B. cereus. The most promising results were achieved with the cauliflower-Salmonella Typhimurium combination, because the bacterial population was reduced by 3.11 log10 cycles after 10 h of incubation at 37°C as a result of 5% cauliflower addition. Further studies were carried out for this combination, at different cauliflower concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 15%) and at temperatures in the range of 5-37°C. The greatest inactivation level (6.11 log10 cycles) was achieved at refrigeration temperature (5°C) using 15% cauliflower addition. Both temperature and cauliflower concentration significantly (p≤0.05) influenced the Salmonella Typhimurium inactivation level. The kinetic parameters were adjusted to mathematical models. The modified Gompertz mathematical model provided an accurate fit (root-mean-square error (RMSE) [0.00009-0.21] and adjusted-R(2) [0.81-0.99]) to experimental Salmonella Typhimurium survival curves describing inactivation kinetics of the pathogen to the antimicrobial effect of cauliflower byproduct.

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The inactivation potential of HHP treatment (200 MPa-2 min) was evaluated against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in cauliflower and mandarin by-product infusions at 37 and 10 °C. By-product infusions exerted a strong antimicrobial effect used alone, achieving 5 log cycles of bacterial reduction for cauliflower by-product infusion after 10 hours and for mandarin by-product infusion after 80 hours, at 37 °C. The HHP treatment caused only one log cycle of cellular damage, but when inoculated cauliflower or mandarin by-product infusions were subjected to HHP treatment the antimicrobial effect against S. Typhimurium was enhanced, achieving 5 log cycles of inactivation in 6 hours at 37 °C in both cases. Inactivation curves were adjusted to the Weibull equation and the kinetic parameters (b and n) were obtained. When HHP treatment was combined with by-product infusions, the inactivation rates were greater than when either of the by-product infusions was added separately. In conclusion, a synergistic antimicrobial effect against S. Typhimurium appeared to take place when HHP treatment was combined with cauliflower or mandarin by-product infusion. These infusions could be considered as an additional microbial control measure to guarantee the food safety and food quality of pasteurized food products that are stored under refrigeration.

(1) Background: The validation of hygiene procedures in food industries is paramount to ensure that food contact surfaces are properly decontaminated before production. Rapid, sensitive and reliable tools are needed for routine hygiene validation in order to increase food safety levels. Two novel tools for biofilm detection (TBF 300) and detection of low levels of microbial contamination (FreshCheck) have been assessed. (2) Methods: Biofilms of relevant food pathogens: Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were grown for 3 and 10 days to assess the performance of the biofilm detection product. Surfaces were inoculated with different levels of L. monocytogenes to determine the limit of detection of FreshCheck. (3) Results: TBF 300 visibly stained 3 days-old biofilms of both pathogens, containing 5.0–5.4 log CFU/cm2. FreshCheck showed a positive reaction with contamination levels as low as 10 CFU/cm2 for L. monocytogenes. (4) Conclusions: Assessment of the hygienic status of food contact surfaces before production can be greatly improved with the use of the two novel tools evaluated in this study. The detection of microorganisms’ presence at very low levels of contamination as well as identification of biofilm growth spots is available in a rapid and easy way, with a big potential contribution to food safety.