ARS | Publication request: EFFECTIVENESS OF CETYLPYRIDINIUM CHLORIDE DIPS AGAINST FOOD BORNE PATHOGENS ON STORED FRESH-CUT CANTALOUPE

Submitted to: International Fresh Cut Produce Association
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 12, 2006
Publication Date: June 20, 2006
Citation: Beaulieu, J.C., Dumas, A.M., Janes, M.E. 2006. Effectiveness of cetylpyridinium chloride dips against food borne pathogens on stored fresh-cut cantaloupe. IFPA and S-294 Science and Technology Symposium. 025-06.

Technical Abstract: Fresh-cut fruits are popular with consumers but can be susceptible to contamination by food borne pathogens, especially Salmonella. Antimicrobial dips can reduce microbial counts on the surface of fresh-cut fruits and possibly increase shelf-life of the product. Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) is currently used as an antimicrobial spray or dip treatment in the beef/pork and poultry industries, and it has no organoleptic concerns. The objective of this study was to determine if CPC dips could help decrease the number of Salmonella montevideo, Shigella sonnei, and Escherichia coli 0157:H7 on stored fresh-cut cantaloupe. Cubes were inoculated with 1-ml each of S. montevideo, S. sonnei, and E. coli 0157:H7 at approximately 7.0 log CFU/g, then air dried 1-hr to allow bacteria to attach before dipping into 0.0, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0% CPC for one minute, then stored at 5°C. Bacterial counts were determined on days 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 by standard plating methods per microbe, and plates were incubated at 37°C for 24h and CFU/g determined. Preliminary efficacy studies (cubes treated and stored at 3°C for 24h) indicated that S. montevideo counts on cube surfaces were reduced 3 Log CFU/g with 0.8 or 1.0% CPC. E. coli counts were reduced 4.0 Log CFU/g with 0.8% or 1% CPC, and the 0.8 and 1.0% CPC dips reduced S. sonnei bacterial counts on the surface of the melons by 3.25 Log CFU/g. With stored fresh-cuts, there was a 1.5 log reduction of S. montevideo for all three concentrations of CPC on day 0. S. sonnei counts were reduced by 1.08, 1.44 and 1.5 log CFU/g with 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0% CPC dip, respectively, and E. coli 0157:H7 was reduced by at least 1.5 log for all three concentrations, on day zero. On day 12, there was almost a 1.5 log reduction in S. montevideo, a 2.5 log reduction in S. sonnei and over a 2 log reduction in E. coli 0157:H7 with the 1.0% CPC dip. These results indicate that CPC could potentially be used to help safeguard and preserve the shelf-life of fresh-cut cantaloupe against food borne pathogens such as S. montevideo, S. sonnei, and E. coli 0157:H7. Quality attributes of CPC-treated and stored cubes may also be presented.