Reduction of Microbial Populations on Prunes by Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide
Moisture is raised in dehydrated prunes to improve palatability before packaging and potassium sorbate is added to inhibit microbial growth. Vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (VPHP) technology uses hydrogen peroxide pulses to disinfect dried prunes. Dried prunes were obtained from dehydrators. The number of colony-forming units per 10 prunes (cfu/p) was compared between untreated and VPHP treated. Three culture media—dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol agar base (DRBC, Oxoid), aerobic plate count agar (PCA), and potato dextrose agar (PDA)—were used to evaluate cfu/p. Similar mean microbe populations were observed on DRBC (67) and PDA (70); PCA had higher cfu/p (99). Microbes washed from untreated prunes obtained from dehydrators were 58 to 112 cfu/p, depending on the culture medium used. The number of cfu/p assessed on all media on VPHP-treated prunes was near 0 after 100 min exposure. Unlike potassium sorbate, hydrogen peroxide is a microbiocide rather than a microbiostat.