Master of Science / Food Science Program / Thomas J. Herald / For the last decade in the U.S., consumers have demanded fresh,
healthier convenience-type foods namely, fresh-cut vegetables. Globalization
has played a major role in rapid growth of the fresh-cut industry sector. Thus,
consumers may purchase their favorite seasonal vegetables in local grocery
stores year-round. However, the convenience of year-round produce availability
brings the potential of foodborne outbreaks. Thirty-two states reported 190
produce-associated outbreaks, 16,058 reported illnesses, 598 hospitalizations,
and eight deaths from 1973 to 1997. Pathogenic bacteria contaminate raw
agricultural commodities through various pathways such as irrigation with
untreated water, use of noncomposted animal manure as fertilizer, and wash
water systems. The increasing number of produce-related outbreaks has raised
awareness to interventions that remove human pathogens on fresh produce.
Washing solely with tap water cannot be relied upon to completely remove
pathogens. Chlorinated water is the most frequently used sanitizer, however,
reductions are less than 2.63-log CFU/g on leafy and salad vegetables. Such
reductions, although significant, are not sufficient to assure the microbial safety
of minimally processed vegetables. The efficacy of several other chemical
agents such as chlorine dioxide, ozone, electrolyzed water, hydrogen peroxide,
organic acids, and other commercial products have been evaluated as potential
alternatives to chlorine.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/103 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Velez Rivera, Edwin |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1166075 bytes, application/pdf |
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