Effectiveness of selected essential oils and one hydrolate to prevent and remove L. monocytogenes biofilms on polystyrene and stainless steel food‐contact surfaces

ABSTRACT Biofilm formation on food contact surfaces is a potential hazard leading to cross-contamination during food processing. We investigated Listeria innocua biofilm formation on various food contact surfaces and compared the washing effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) at 30, 50, 70, and 120 ppm with that of 200 ppm of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) on biofilm cells. The risk of L. innocua biofilm transfer and growth on food at retail markets was also investigated. The viability of biofilms that formed on food contact surfaces and then transferred cells to duck meat was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. L. innocua biofilm formation was greatest on rubber, followed by polypropylene, glass, and stainless steel. Regardless of sanitizer type, washing removed biofilms from polypropylene and stainless steel better than from rubber and glass. Among the various SAEW concentrations, washing with 70 ppm of SAEW for 5 min significantly reduced L. innocua biofilms on food contact surfaces during food processing. Efficiency of transfer of L. innocua biofilm cells was the highest on polypropylene and lowest on stainless steel. The transferred biofilm cells grew to the maximum population density, and the lag time of transferred biofilm cells was longer than that of planktonic cells. The biofilm cells that transferred to duck meat coexisted with live, injured, and dead cells, which indicates that effective washing is essential to remove biofilm on food contact surfaces during food processing to reduce the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks.

Download Full-text

Concentration and Detection of Caliciviruses from Food Contact Surfaces

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-65.6.999 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 65 (6) ◽

pp. 999-1004 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

ANIL TAKU ◽

BALDEV R. GULATI ◽

PAUL B. ALLWOOD ◽

KERRIN PALAZZI ◽

CRAIG W. HEDBERG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Food Service ◽

Contact Period ◽

Norwalk Virus ◽

Buffer Solution ◽

Simple Method ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Elution Method

Outbreaks of human Norwalk virus (NV) and Norwalk-like viruses often originate in food service establishments. No reliable method is available for the detection of these human caliciviruses on food contact surfaces. We describe a simple method for the detection of NV from stainless steel work surfaces using cultivable feline calicivirus (FCV) as a model. Stainless steel surfaces were artificially contaminated with known amounts of FCV, followed by its elution in a buffer solution. Three methods of virus elution were compared. In the first method, moistened cotton swabs or pieces of nylon filter (1MDS) were used to elute the contaminating virus. The second method consisted of flooding the contaminated surface with eluting buffer, allowing it to stay in contact for 15 min, followed by aspiration of the buffer (aspiration method) after a contact period of 15 min. The third method, the scraping-aspiration method, was similar to the aspiration method, except that the surfaces were scraped with a cell scraper before buffer aspiration. Maximum virus recovery (32 to 71%) was obtained with the scraping-aspiration method using 0.05 M glycine buffer at pH 6.5. Two methods (organic flocculation and filter adsorption elution) were compared to reduce the volume of the eluate recovered from larger surfaces. The organic flocculation method gave an average overall recovery of 55% compared to the filter-adsorption-elution method, which yielded an average recovery of only 8%. The newly developed method was validated for the detection of NV by artificial contamination of 929-cm2 stainless steel sheets with NV-positive stool samples and for the detection of the recovered virus by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.

Download Full-text

Inhibition of Initial Attachment of Injured Salmonella Typhimurium onto Abiotic Surfaces

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-17-209 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 37-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Woo-Ju Kim ◽

Ki-Ok Jeong ◽

Dong-Hyun Kang

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Peroxide ◽

Stainless Steel ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

Salmonella Typhimurium ◽

Food Processing ◽

Food Contact ◽

Abiotic Surfaces ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Following sanitation interventions in food processing facilities, sublethally injured bacterial cells can remain on food contact surfaces. We investigated whether injured Salmonella Typhimurium cells can attach onto abiotic surfaces, which is the initial stage for further biofilm development. We utilized heat, UV, hydrogen peroxide, and lactic acid treatments, which are widely utilized by the food industry. Our results showed that heat, UV, and hydrogen peroxide did not effectively change populations of attached Salmonella Typhimurium. Cells treated with hydrogen peroxide had a slightly higher tendency to adhere to abiotic surfaces, although there was no significant difference between the populations of control and hydrogen peroxide–treated cells. However, lactic acid effectively reduced the number of Salmonella Typhimurium cells attached to stainless steel. We also compared physicochemical changes of Salmonella Typhimurium after application of lactic acid and used hydrogen peroxide as a positive control because only lactic acid showed a decreased tendency for attachment and hydrogen peroxide induced slightly higher numbers of attached bacteria cells. Extracellular polymeric substance produced by Salmonella Typhimurium was not detected in any treatment. Significant differences in hydrophobicity were not observed. Surface charges of cell membranes did not show relevant correlation with numbers of attached cells, whereas autoaggregation showed a positive correlation with attachment to stainless steel. Our results highlight that when lactic acid is applied in a food processing facility, it can effectively interfere with adhesion of injured Salmonella Typhimurium cells onto food contact surfaces.

Download Full-text

Simple, Accurate Method for Evaluating the Amount of Fat and Protein Residue on a Food Contact Surface1,2

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-47.10.762 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 47 (10) ◽

pp. 762-764

Author(s):

H. E. HUFF ◽

M. E. ANDERSON ◽

R. T. MARSHALL

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Recovery Rate ◽

Gravimetric Method ◽

Accurate Method ◽

Food Grade ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Different Types ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Pork Fat

The objective of this research was to evaluate a method for quantitatively removing pork fat and blood plasma from different food contact surfaces - glass, stainless steel, plastic and food grade belting. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, a mass balance procedure was used to determine whether the developed method could remove virtually all the fat or protein placed on stainless steel and glass. In the second study, a gravimetric method was used to verify that the amount of fat on test strips could be harvested and quantified as residue. A recovery rate of from 98% or 100% was achieved for the different types of food contact surfaces.

Download Full-text

Inactivation Kinetics and Mechanism of a Human Norovirus Surrogate on Stainless Steel Coupons via Chlorine Dioxide Gas

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02489-15 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

pp. 116-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Jia Wei Yeap ◽

Simran Kaur ◽

Fangfei Lou ◽

Erin DiCaprio ◽

Mark Morgan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Chlorine Dioxide ◽

Plaque Assay ◽

Kinetics And Mechanism ◽

Inactivation Kinetics ◽

Human Norovirus ◽

Effective Measure ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces

ABSTRACTAcute gastroenteritis caused by human norovirus is a significant public health issue. Fresh produce and seafood are examples of high-risk foods associated with norovirus outbreaks. Food contact surfaces also have the potential to harbor noroviruses if exposed to fecal contamination, aerosolized vomitus, or infected food handlers. Currently, there is no effective measure to decontaminate norovirus on food contact surfaces. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas is a strong oxidizer and is used as a decontaminating agent in food processing plants. The objective of this study was to determine the kinetics and mechanism of ClO2gas inactivation of a norovirus surrogate, murine norovirus 1 (MNV-1), on stainless steel (SS) coupons. MNV-1 was inoculated on SS coupons at the concentration of 107PFU/coupon. The samples were treated with ClO2gas at 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 4 mg/liter for up to 5 min at 25°C and a relative humidity of 85%, and virus survival was determined by plaque assay. Treatment of the SS coupons with ClO2gas at 2 mg/liter for 5 min and 2.5 mg/liter for 2 min resulted in at least a 3-log reduction in MNV-1, while no infectious virus was recovered at a concentration of 4 mg/liter even within 1 min of treatment. Furthermore, it was found that the mechanism of ClO2gas inactivation included degradation of viral protein, disruption of viral structure, and degradation of viral genomic RNA. In conclusion, treatment with ClO2gas can serve as an effective method to inactivate a human norovirus surrogate on SS contact surfaces.

Download Full-text

Removal and Transfer of Viruses on Food Contact Surfaces by Cleaning Cloths

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00027-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 78 (9) ◽

pp. 3037-3044 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Kristen E. Gibson ◽

Philip G. Crandall ◽

Steven C. Ricke

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Solid Surface ◽

Stainless Steel Surface ◽

Murine Norovirus ◽

Indirect Transmission ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Nonwoven Cloth ◽

Contact Surfaces

ABSTRACTContamination of food contact surfaces with pathogens is considered an important vehicle for the indirect transmission of food-borne diseases. Five different cleaning cloths were assessed for the ability to remove viruses from food contact surfaces (stainless steel surface and nonporous solid surface) and to transfer viruses back to these surfaces. Cleaning cloths evaluated include two different cellulose/cotton cloths, one microfiber cloth, one nonwoven cloth, and one cotton terry bar towel. Four viral surrogates (murine norovirus [MNV], feline calicivirus [FCV], bacteriophages PRD1 and MS2) were included. Removal of FCV from stainless steel was significantly greater (P≤ 0.05) than that from nonporous solid surface, and overall removal of MNV from both surfaces was significantly less (P≤ 0.05) than that of FCV and PRD1. Additionally, the terry towel removed significantly fewer total viruses (P≤ 0.05) than the microfiber and one of the cotton/cellulose cloths. The cleaning cloth experiments were repeated with human norovirus. For transfer of viruses from cloth to surface, both cellulose/cotton cloths and microfiber transferred an average of 3.4 and 8.5 total PFU, respectively, to both surfaces, and the amounts transferred were significantly different (P≤ 0.05) from those for the nonwoven cloth and terry towel (309 and 331 total PFU, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference (P> 0.05) in the amount of virus transfer between surfaces. These data indicate that while the cleaning cloths assessed here can remove viruses from surfaces, some cloths may also transfer a significant amount of viruses back to food contact surfaces.

Download Full-text

Effectiveness and mechanisms of essential oils for biofilm control on food-contact surfaces: An updated review

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition ◽

10.1080/10408398.2020.1851169 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Chiara Rossi ◽

Clemencia Chaves-López ◽

Annalisa Serio ◽

Manila Casaccia ◽

Francesca Maggio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Food Contact ◽

Biofilm Control ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces

Download Full-text

Comparison of Sampling Procedures for Recovery of Listeria monocytogenes from Stainless Steel Food Contact Surfaces

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-11-421 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 75 (6) ◽

pp. 1077-1082 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

DIEGO GÓMEZ ◽

AGUSTÍN ARIÑO ◽

JUAN J. CARRAMIÑANA ◽

CARMINA ROTA ◽

JAVIER YANGÜELA

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Listeria Monocytogenes ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Human Origin ◽

Sampling Device ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Sampling Procedures

A number of techniques exist for microbiological sampling of food processing environments in food industries. In the present study the efficacies of nine sampling procedures for the recovery of Listeria monocytogenes from food contact surfaces, including a new sampling device consisting of a miniroller, were evaluated and compared. A stainless steel table was inoculated with L. monocytogenes strain 935 (serovar 4b, human origin) and L. monocytogenes strain 437/07 (serovar 1/2b, food origin), at 105 CFU/100 cm2. L. monocytogenes strain 935 was best recovered with the minirollers (recovery of up to 6.27%), while poor recoveries (<0.30%) were obtained with the towel (one-ply composite tissue), alginate swab, metallic swab, and Petrifilm methods. In the case of L. monocytogenes strain 437/07 the replicate organism detection and counting (RODAC) ALOA contact plates yielded the best recoveries (4.15%), followed by the minirollers (up to 1.52%). Overall, recovery percentages with the minirollers were higher with stomacher homogenization than with Vibromatic agitation. The recovery percentages obtained for the Listeria strain of human origin were higher than those obtained with the food strain for all sampling procedures except Petrifilm and RODAC ALOA. With the miniroller device coated with wool fiber, the recovery of L. monocytogenes can be improved from 2 to 17 times over recoveries obtained with the sponge and cotton swab. This is the first report of a miniroller device for microbiological sampling in the available literature. The novel sampling procedure is convenient to apply on surfaces, is cost-effective, and results in better recovery of L. monocytogenes than do the conventional methods.

Download Full-text

Bactericidal efficacy of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against Listeria monocytogenes planktonic cells and biofilm on food-contact surfaces

Food Quality and Safety ◽

10.1093/fqsafe/fyab038 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Jianxiong Hao ◽

Junyi Zhang ◽

Xueqi Zheng ◽

Dandan Zhao

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Treatment Time ◽

Planktonic Cells ◽

Electrolyzed Water ◽

Log Reduction ◽

Food Contact ◽

Bactericidal Efficacy ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Glass Surfaces

Abstract In the present study, the bactericidal efficacy of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against L. monocytogenes planktonic cells and biofilm on food-contact surfaces including stainless steel and glass was systematically evaluated. The results showed that SAEW (pH of 5.09 and available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 60.33 mg/L) could kill L. monocytogenes on food-contact surfaces completely in 30 s, whose disinfection efficacy is equal to that of NaClO solutions (pH of 9.23 and ACC of 253.53 mg/L). The results showed that long exposure time and high ACC contributed to the enhancement of the disinfection efficacy of SAEW on L. monocytogenes on food-contact surfaces. Moreover, the log reduction of SAEW treatment presented an increasing tendency within the prolonging of treatment time when SAEW was used to remove the L. monocytogenes biofilm formed on stainless steel and glass surfaces, which suggested that SAEW could remove L. monocytogenes biofilm effectively and its disinfection efficacy is equal to (in case of stainless steel) or higher than (in case of glass) that of high ACC of NaClO solutions. In addition, the results of the crystal violet staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also demonstrated that SAEW treatment could remove the L. monocytogenes biofilm on food-contact surfaces.

Download Full-text