Conference poster
Validation of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a surrogate microorganism of Listeria monocytogenes during sanitizer intervention in simulated process water
Sustainable High-value Horticulture and Processing
2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000003931
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacteria, naturally exists in the produce production and processing environment and can cause fatal illnesses. Recent listeriosis outbreaks linked to caramel apples and multiple L. monocytogenes recalls associated with fresh apples have brought apple microbial safety to the public’s attention. In commercial plants, apples are first handled by large dump tanks and flume water systems to gently transport apples from harvest bins to the packing line. The dump tank and flume system use thousands of gallons of water, making it difficult to drain and refill with fresh water. Consequently, this water is commonly reused for several processing days. However, the reuse of dump tank water results in the accumulation of organic matter and potentially cross-contamination of foodborne pathogens, including L. monocytogenes. To reduce cross contamination, chemical sanitizers like chlorine and peroxyacetic acid (PAA) are extensively used in dump tank flume water. However, their practical efficacies are largely unknown and require a non-pathogenic surrogate bacterium to test their effectiveness in-plant. In this study, the efficacy of chlorine and PAA against L. monocytogenes in simulated dunk tank water (SDTW) was analyzed using a bench-top system and further compared with a presumable surrogate, Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354. Chlorine at 25-100 ppm for 0.5-5 min contact in water with 1000 ppm chemical oxygen demand (COD) caused a reduction of 4.5-6.0 log10 CFU/ml in L. monocytogenes, while reductions of 3.8-5.2 log10 CFU/ml were observed for that of E. faecium. PAA at 20 and 80 ppm for 0.5-5 min contact in water with 1000 ppm COD reduced L. monocytogenes by 0.7-3.8 and 3.9-4.3 log10 CFU/ml, respectively; which was comparable to the 0.4-3.6 and 3.3-4.3 log10 CFU/ml reduction observed for that of E. faecium. In summary, we proved E. faecium is a suitable surrogate microorganism of L. monocytogenes in chlorine and PAA intervention treatments in SDTW water.
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Details
- Title
- Validation of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a surrogate microorganism of Listeria monocytogenes during sanitizer intervention in simulated process water
- Creators
- Andrew Liu (Author) - University of PittsburghYuan Su (Author) - Washington State UniversityMEIJUN ZHU (Author) - Washington State University, Food Science, School of
- Conference
- Sustainable High-value Horticulture and Processing
- Academic Unit
- Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Identifiers
- 99900882237201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference poster