Lauric Arginate/Cellulose Nanocrystal Nanorods-Stabilized Alkenyl Succinic Anhydride Pickering Emulsion: Enhancement of Stabilization and Paper Sizing Performance

Biodegradable colloidal particle materials are becoming attractive candidates as eco-friendly chemical additives in the low-carbon economy era. However, developing cheap, stable, and efficient paper-sizing agents is still a challenging issue both for paper making academic community and industry. Here, an easy-fabricating, stable, and high-performance alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) paper-sizing emulsion is developed, which is stabilized by lauric arginate (LAE)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) nanorods. Furthermore, the chemical crosslinking between ASA and LAE/CNC nanorods can adjust the wettability and interfacial adsorption of LAE/CNC, resulting in improved stability of ASA-sizing emulsion. This novel paper-sizing emulsion shows a small droplet size (0.8 μm), high hydrolysis resistance, and a high paper-sizing degree (300 s) along with a remarkable hydrophobicity contact angle of 110° for long-term storage. This work opens a door for realizing an interfacial self-assembled Pickering-stabilizer, which leads to an environmentally friendly, pervasive and cost-effective emulsification technique for the next-generation paper-sizing additives.

Efficacy and Quality Attributes of Antimicrobial Agents Application via a Commercial Electrostatic Spray Cabinet to Inactivate Salmonella on Chicken Thigh Meat

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen associated with poultry meat. This study aimed to determine the efficiency and quality attributes of two antimicrobial agents to reduce Salmonella on raw chicken meat when applied individually and in combination using an electrostatic spray cabinet. Five logs CFU/g of non-pathogenic, rifampicin-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium were inoculated on skin less, bone less, raw chicken thigh meat and passed through an electrostatic spray cabinet while being sprayed with 5% lauric arginate (LAE), and 100, 1000, 1500, 1750 ppm of peracetic acid (PAA). Spraying of 5% LAE for 45 s, significantly reduced Salmonella by 5 logs (p<0.05). The 1500 ppm of PAA reduced Salmonella significantly within 45 s (1.157 logs). Spraying of 1500 ppm PAA followed by LAE within 15 s reduced Salmonella significantly more than vice versa (p<0.05). The color, water holding capacity, and texture did not differ significantly, but resulted in a significantly strong aroma and flavor. Both LAE and PAA efficiently reduced Salmonella when applied in an electrostatic spray cabinet on raw chicken thigh meat. The results suggest that the sequential order of application of antimicrobial agents is important to improve the safety and quality of raw chicken thigh meat.

Synergistic Effects of Lauric Arginate and Peracetic Acid in Reducing Listeria monocytogenes on Fresh Apples

Apples are naturally coated with a water-repelling hydrophobic wax layer, which may limit the antimicrobial efficacies of surface sanitizer solutions. Lauric arginate (LAE) is a cationic surfactant with antimicrobial efficacy against Listeria monocytogenes. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial and the wettability effects of LAE in enhancing anti-L. monocytogenes efficacy of peracetic acid (PAA) and further verified the optimized treatment combinations in a pilot spray-bar brush bed system. Apples after 48 h of inoculation were treated with PAA surface sanitation in combination with different concentrations of LAE at 22 or 46°C. The effectiveness of PAA with LAE solutions in decontaminating L. monocytogenes significantly increased with the increased concentration of PAA (60–80 ppm) or LAE (0.01–0.05%) or the treatment temperature (from 22 to 46°C). A 30–120-sec wash by 80 ppm PAA with 0.01 and 0.05% LAE at 22°C reduced L. monocytogenes on apples by 2.10–2.25 and 2.48–2.58 log10 CFU/apple, respectively. Including LAE in the PAA solution decreased contact angles on apple surfaces. However, the increased wettability of the sanitizer solution may not be the main contributor to the enhanced antimicrobial efficacy of the PAA solution, given that the addition of Tween 80 or Tween 85 only slightly boosted the anti-L. monocytogenes efficacy of PAA solutions though both increased the wettability of the PAA solutions. The synergistic effects of PAA and LAE were further validated in a pilot spray-bar brush bed packing system, where a 30-sec spray wash with 80 ppm PAA and 0.05% LAE at 22 and 46°C caused 1.68 and 2.08 log reduction of Listeria on fresh apples, respectively. This study provides an improved PAA process/preventive strategy for ensuring microbial food safety of fresh apples that is applicable to commercial apple packing lines.

Hurdle Effect of Hot Air Impingement Drying and Surfactant-Sanitizer Wash on Removal of Listeria innocua from Fresh Apples

ABSTRACT This study investigated the decontamination efficacy of washing treatments for whole fresh apples by using washes containing surfactants, lauric arginate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and Tween 20, combined with peracetic acid (PAA), followed by hot air impingement drying. Whole fresh apples of selected varieties (Gala and Granny Smith) were inoculated with Listeria innocua (7 log CFU/mL) by using a dipping method, and then dried and subjected to wash treatments with selected washing solutions (H2O, PAA, PAA–lauric arginate, PAA–sodium dodecyl sulfate, and PAA–Tween 20), followed by hot air impingement drying at two different temperature and time conditions, 93°C for 60 s or 121°C for 25 s. The H2O and PAA wash followed by hot air impingement drying led to a maximum 1.5-log reduction of L. innocua on the fruit surface. Adding surfactants increased the effectiveness of washing and drying treatments, resulting in an approximate 2.2-log reduction. Surfactants increased the spreadability and evaporation rate of the washing solutions. Posttreatment changes in apple firmness were assessed during a 21-day storage at 4 and 21°C. The hot air impingement drying had no adverse effect on the firmness of the apples and did not show any further reduction in L. innocua. Washing apples with solutions containing surfactants combined with PAA followed by hot air impingement drying helped to reduce the microbial loads to some extent and may help to reduce drying times significantly. HIGHLIGHTS