Effectiveness of Active Packaging on Control of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Total Aerobic Bacteria on Iceberg Lettuce

Abstract

Contaminated leafy green vegetables have been linked to several outbreaks of human gastrointestinal infections. Antimicrobial interventions that are adoptable by the fresh produce industry for control of pathogen contamination are in great demand. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of sustained active packaging on control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria on lettuce. Commercial Iceberg lettuce was inoculated with a 3-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 at 10(2) or 10(4) CFU/g. The contaminated lettuce and un-inoculated controls were placed respectively in 5 different active packaging structures. Traditional, nonactive packaging structure was included as controls. Packaged lettuce was stored at 4, 10, or 22 °C for 3 wk and sampled weekly for the population of E. coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria. Results showed that packaging structures with ClO2 generator, CO2 generator, or one of the O2 scavengers effectively controlled the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and total aerobic bacteria under all storage conditions. Packaging structure with the ClO2 generator was most effective and no E. coli O157:H7 was detected in samples packaged in this structure except for those that were inoculated with 4 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 and stored at 22 °C. Packaging structures with an oxygen scavenger and the allyl isothiocyanate generator were mostly ineffective in control of the growth of the bacteria on Iceberg lettuce. The research suggests that some of the packaging structures evaluated in the study can be used to control the presence of foodborne pathogens on leafy green vegetables.

Antimicrobial Active Bioplastics Using Triangular Silver Nanoplate Integrated Polycaprolactone and Polylactic Acid Films

“…In our present study, both Gram-positive (S. aureus ATCC 25923) and Gram-negative (E. coli ATCC 9001) bacteria were used to assess the antimicrobial properties of TSNP-treated PCL and PLA composite films with respect to bare films. These bacterial strains were chosen as representatives of common harmful microorganisms occurring in various biomedical related products [56,57]. The antimicrobial effects (AE) of bare and TSNP-treated PCL and PLA composite films were then calculated using the following formula [4].…”

Development of activate-at-home-type edible antimicrobial films: An example pH-triggering mechanism formed for smoked salmon slices using lysozyme in whey protein films

“…The rising threat of foodborne outbreaks related to raw and minimally processed products has caused a great interest in functional antimicrobial packaging materials (Cagri, Ustunol, & Ryser, 2001;Lu, Zhu, Li, & Chen, 2015;Lynch, Tauxe, & Hedberg, 2009). Antimicrobial packaging is a promising area since it might inhibit or suppress the growth of pathogenic or spoilage microorganism on food surface by using minimum amounts of antimicrobials (Appendini & Hotchkiss, 2002;Gennadios, Hanna, & Kurth, 1997;Han, 2000;Ouattara, Simard, Piette, B egin, & Holley, 2000;Quintavalla & Vicini, 2002).…”

Biocontrol Processes in Fruits and Fresh Produce, the Use of Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Sustainable Option

“…Food active packaging is designed to interact actively with the product or its environment to maintain quality and increase its shelf life (Otero-Pazos et al, 2014;Lu et al, 2015a). The first active packaging marketed was a device of sustained release placed in the headspace in the form of sachets inside the package containing the antimicrobial material, including organic acids and essential oils (Corbo et al, 2010;Otero-Pazos et al, 2014).…”

“…In active packaging, materials that can exchange compounds to the gas phase are also used, in order to maintain a specific concentration of CO 2 , O 2 , water vapor or ethylene (Lu et al, 2015a). The amount of active compounds needed will depend on the rate of gas production, the concentrations to be reached and the time in which the packing must be functional (Shafiur-Rahman, 2007).…”