Strawberry sanitization by peracetic acid washing and its effect on fruit quality

Abstract

Washing time was irrelevant to reduce epiphytic microbiota and L. innocua populations. Aerobic mesophylls were reduced similarly by peracetic acid (PA) and NaClO washes. All PA washing treatments reduced the L. innocua populations by 4 log units. L. innocua counts in PA washing solutions were 4-log units lower than they were in control water.  Sanitization had no relevant impact on quality nor on biochemical characterization.

Application of Ultrasound Combined with Acetic Acid and Peracetic Acid: Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Strawberries

“…These results indicate that the proposed sanitizers are more efficient at controlling this microbial group than the conventional treatment. Nicolau-Lapena et al [26] observed a different result for yeasts and molds: treatment with chlorine compounds and peracetic acid reduced contamination in washing water, but no differences were observed in strawberries.…”

“…Gurtler, Bailey, Jin and Fan [45] obtained similar results in the evaluation of the effects of 1% acetic acid solution treatment for 2 min on seven strains of E. coli O157:H7 on inoculated strawberries. Nicolau-Lapena et al [26] artificially inoculated Listeria innocua in strawberries and observed that all sanitizantion treatments with peracetic acid reduced its number by at least 4 log CFU/g, except for the 20 mg/L treatment for 1 min.…”

“…is considered a healthy product and is one of the most eaten fruits due nutritional and bioactive properties [6]. However, it is a highly perishable fruit, because of its high contents of water and carbohydrates; as a result, it is extremely probable to have undergone microbiological contaminations from the environment [6,[25][26][27]. Besides that, it is susceptible to physical injury and microbial contamination during harvest and transportation [25][26][27].…”

“…However, it is a highly perishable fruit, because of its high contents of water and carbohydrates; as a result, it is extremely probable to have undergone microbiological contaminations from the environment [6,[25][26][27]. Besides that, it is susceptible to physical injury and microbial contamination during harvest and transportation [25][26][27]. The epiphytic microbiota of strawberries is varied, and fruits can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms from the growth to distribution stage [27].…”

A review: nutrition quality and processing of Malaysian strawberries

“…However, such practices cause later effects of bio-accumulation of pesticides through the food chain (Kin and Huat, 2010); thus, the sanitisation process is needed upon harvesting to get rid of any pesticides residue. Contamination of fresh strawberries may happen due to insects, soil, water or improper handling, either during the pre-harvest or postharvest stages, thus sanitisation is a crucial first approach for inactive spoilage bacteria to preserve the freshness of products (Nicolau-Lapena et al, 2019). A prior study by Kin and Huat (2010) on sanitisation of strawberry fruits collected at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Cameron Highlands with different sanitising solutions of acetic acid, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride and solely tap water showed that acidic solutions of 5 to 10% acetic acid in tap water removed around 44 to 70% pesticide residues in strawberries after soaking for 10 to 30 minutes and dried overnight.…”