Comparative Study on the Efficacy of Bacteriophages, Sanitizers, and UV Light Treatments To Control Listeria monocytogenes on Sliced Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

• Published in: Journal of food protection Vol. 78; no. 6; pp. 1147 - 1153
• Main Authors: Murray, Kayla, Wu, Fan, Aktar, Rafia, Namvar, Azadeh, Warriner, Keith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Limited 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Acids; Aerobic conditions; Agaricus; Agaricus bisporus; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Bacteriophages; By products; Colony Count, Microbial; Comparative studies; Decontamination; Dehydration; Disinfection - methods; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food Handling - methods; Food Microbiology - methods; Food safety; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - pharmacology; Lactic Acid - pharmacology; Listeria; Listeria monocytogenes; Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification; Listeria monocytogenes - radiation effects; Mushrooms; Oxidation; Pathogens; Sanitizers; Ultraviolet radiation; Ultraviolet Rays
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-14-389

The following reports on a comparative study on the efficacy of different decontamination technologies to decrease Listeria monocytogenes inoculated onto white sliced mushrooms and assesses the fate of residual levels during posttreatment storage under aerobic conditions at 8 °C. The treatments were chemical (hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, ozonated water, electrolyzed water, chitosan, lactic acid), biological (Listeria bacteriophages), and physical (UV-C, UV-hydrogen peroxide). None of the treatments achieved >1.2 log CFU reduction in L. monocytogenes levels; bacteriophages at a multiplicity of infection of 100 and 3% (vol/vol) hydrogen peroxide were the most effective of the treatments tested. However, growth of residual L. monocytogenes during posttreatment storage attained levels equal to or greater than levels in the nontreated controls. The growth of L. monocytogenes was inhibited on mushrooms treated with chitosan, electrolyzed water, peroxyacetic acid, or UV. Yet, L. monocytogenes inoculated onto mushrooms and treated with UV-hydrogen peroxide decreased during posttreatment storage, through a combination of sublethal injury and dehydration of the mushroom surface. Although mushrooms treated with UV-hydrogen peroxide became darker during storage, the samples were visually acceptable relative to controls. In conclusion, of the treatments evaluated, UV-hydrogen peroxide holds promise to control L. monocytogenes on mushroom surfaces.