Abstract
We evaluated combined effects of vacuumed hydrogen peroxide vapor (VHPV) and vacuum-sealed dry heat (vacuum heat, VH) to inactivate foodborne pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes) on alfalfa seeds. Alfalfa seeds inoculated with foodborne pathogens were sequentially treated initially with1.0 ml of 0 or 30% VHPV for 1 min and later with dry heat (DH) or VH for 2 h, and the rate of seed germination was evaluated. The combination treatment decreased the populations of three foodborne pathogens below the limit of detection (1.0 log CFU/g) on alfalfa seeds without decreasing germinability. The sequential treatment using VHPV and VH greatly reduced the total treatment time needed to inactivate pathogens on alfalfa seeds by more than 5 log CFU/g. These results demonstrate that a combination of VHPV and VH has potentially employed as a new method for pasteurization of alfalfa seeds without affecting their germinability.
Funding Information
  • National Research Foundation of Korea (2018R1A2B2008825, 2020R1G1A1102557)

This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit: