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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423280
Research Project: Chemical Conversion of Biomass into High Value Products

Location: Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research

Title: Enhancing blueberries' safety: antimicrobial effects of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide against foodborne pathogens

Author
item Hussain, Syed Ammar
item Sarker, Majher
item Jin, Zhonglin

Submitted to: Letters in Applied Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/18/2025
Publication Date: 3/19/2025
Citation: Hussain, S., Sarker, M.I., Jin, Z.T. 2025. Enhancing blueberries' safety: antimicrobial effects of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide against foodborne pathogens. Letters in Applied Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/lambio/ovaf042.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/lambio/ovaf042

Interpretive Summary: Fresh fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, can have harmful germs on them, posing a risk to public health. This study examined the efficacy of a compound named alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (ATMB) for decontamination of fresh produce. Research data revealed that ATMB can efficiently reduce the microbial loads from the surface blueberries contaminated with three common foodborne pathogens: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes even when used in small amount. However, higher dose with longer exposure time resulted in greater reduction of microbial loads as expected. It is concluded that ATMB can be a useful antimicrobial for cleaning blueberries, which helps keep food safe and protects consumers.

Technical Abstract: The contamination of fresh produce, including blueberries, with pathogenic microorganisms poses a significant public health risk. This study assessed the efficacy of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (ATMB), a quaternary ammonium compound, in reducing microbial loads on blueberries. The antimicrobial activity of ATMB was tested against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes at varying concentrations (750 ppm and 1500 ppm) and exposure times (1 min, 5 min, and 10 min). Results showed that reductions in microbial loads were dependent on both the concentration of ATMB and exposure time. The greatest reductions of 6.7 Log CFU/mL for Escherichia coli O157:H7, 5.1 Log CFU/mL for Salmonella enterica and 4.9 Log CFU/mL for Listeria monocytogenes were observed at 1500 ppm for 10 minutes. These findings demonstrate the potential of ATMB as an effective antimicrobial agent for the decontamination of blueberries, thereby enhancing food safety and protecting consumers.