This study was conducted to investigate effects of chemical sanitizers on inhibiting foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7), on cabbages. Cabbages were inoculated with the culture cocktail of pathogens and treated with water, 100 ppm commercial chlorine, and 50, 100, and 200 ppm chlorine dioxide (ClO2) for 1, 5, and 10 min at room temperature (22±2 o C). Treatments with water did not significantly reduce levels of three pathogens whereas other treatments with chemical sanitizers significantly reduced levels of three pathogens. Treatment with 200 ppm ClO2 for 10 min was the most effective at inhibiting pathogens and reduction levels were 1.90, 1.92, and 1.98 log CFU/g for L. monocytogens, S. Typhimurium, and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. Levels of reduction were increased with the increase of ClO2 concentrations. When chemically injured cells were investigated, there were no significant differences on the levels of injured cells between before and after treatment with commercial chlorine and ClO2. These results suggest that ClO2 can be used as an alternative sanitizer for reducing pathogens on fresh produces.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.