International Specialty Supply
Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World
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International Specialty Supply Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World
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820 East 20th Street Cookeville, TN 38501 USA 931 526 1106
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Double Whammy for E. coli and Salmonella Treating alfalfa seeds and sprouts with a combination of
irradiation and chlorine effectively safeguards them against E. coli
O157:H7 and Salmonella, researchers found. Not only did the dual
treatment kill both organisms, it extended the shelf life of sprouts from about
five days to more than a week. This is good news for sprout growers. Since 1995,
raw alfalfa sprouts have been recognized as a source of foodborne illness in the
United States, with several outbreaks of both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.
Since sprouts can't withstand abrasive physical washing because of their
fragility, cleaning the seed has become the primary focus. Along with irradiation, the researchers subjected alfalfa seeds to
three concentrations of calcium hypochlorite—a chlorine source. A 3-percent
weight-per-volume concentration equals about 20,000 parts per million of
available chlorine. When the pH is neutral, the 2.5- and 3-percent
concentrations reduced E. coli O157:H7 by 99.99 percent. The pH level is
important because when the solution is more alkaline, such as pH 10, the
chlorine would change to a form that would be less effective against bacteria. According to the scientists, the best way to eliminate pathogens
would be a combination of irradiation and sanitation treatments. That's because
sprouts and seeds may be contaminated internally, which would prevent a surface
disinfectant from working effectively. In the tests, the scientists used the
irradiation dose approved for meat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
approved ionizing radiation as a safe and effective food preservation tool. The
research is part of an effort by a task force of representatives from several
federal agencies and industry to find ways to control microbial contamination of
sprouts . For more information, contact Donald W. Thayer on irradiation,
(215) 233-6582 and William F. Fett on chlorination, (215) 233-6418, Eastern
Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA |