The effectiveness of treating irrigation water using ultraviolet radiation or sulphuric acid fertilizer for reducing generic Escherichia coli on fresh produce-a controlled intervention trial.

Autor: Beauvais W; Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.; Comparative Pathobiology Department, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA., Englishbey AK; Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.; Hygiena LLC, New Castle, DE, USA., Marconi CM; Texas A&M AgriLife-Weslaco, Weslaco, TX, USA.; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - IR-4 Project, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA., Cholula U; Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.; Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA., Belias AM; Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Wemette M; Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Usaga J; Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.; National Center for Food Science and Technology, University of Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San Jose, Costa Rica., Churey JJ; Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Worobo RW; Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA., Enciso J; Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA., Anciso JR; Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Weslaco, TX, USA., Nightingale K; Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA., Ivanek R; Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of applied microbiology [J Appl Microbiol] 2021 Sep; Vol. 131 (3), pp. 1360-1377. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Feb 17.
DOI: 10.1111/jam.15011
Abstrakt: Aims: The aims of this study were to: (i) estimate the effectiveness of ultraviolet radiation (UV) and sulphuric acid-based fertilizer (SA), at reducing levels of generic Escherichia coli in surface irrigation water and on produce and surface soil in open produce fields; and (ii) describe the population dynamics of generic E. coli in produce fields.
Methods and Results: Spinach and cantaloupe plots were randomly assigned to control, UV or SA treatment groups. Irrigation water was inoculated with Rifampicin-resistant E. coli prior to treatment. More than 75% of UV- and SA-treated tank water samples had counts below the detection limit, compared to a mean count of 3·3 Log 10 CFU per ml before treatment. Levels of Rifampicin-resistant E. coli in soil and produce both increased and decreased over 10-15 days after irrigation, depending on the plot and time-period.
Conclusions: UV and SA treatments effectively reduce the levels of E. coli in surface irrigation water. Their effectiveness at reducing contamination on produce was dependent on environmental conditions. Applying wait-times after irrigation and prior to harvest is not a reliable means of mitigating against contaminated produce.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The results are of timely importance for the agricultural industry as new FSMA guidelines require producers to demonstrate a low microbial load in irrigation water or allow producers to apply a wait-time to mitigate the risk of contaminated produce.
(© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for Applied Microbiology.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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