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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Research
Note: Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium in
Artificially Contaminated Alfalfa Seeds and Mung Beans by Fumigation with
Ammonia Journal
of Food Protection: Vol. 64, No. 11, pp. 1817–1819. Sakchai
Himathongkham California
Department of Health Services, 601 North 7th Street, Sacramento, California
94234-7320 Suphachai
Nuanualsuwan, Hans Riemann, and Dean O. Cliver Department
of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University
of California, Davis, California 95616, USA Abstract—Sprouts
eaten raw are increasingly perceived as hazardous foods because they have been
vehicles in outbreaks of foodborne disease, often involving Escherichia coli
O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium. Although the source of these pathogens has
not been established, it is known that the seeds usually are already
contaminated at the time sprouting begins. Earlier studies had shown that
ammonia was lethal to these same pathogens in manure, so it seemed reasonable to
determine whether ammonia was effective against them when associated with seeds
to be used for sprouting. Experimentally contaminated (108 to 109
CFU/g) and dried seeds, intended for sprouting, were sealed in glass jars in
which 180 or 300 mg of ammonia/liter of air space was generated by action of
ammonium sulfate and sodium hydroxide. Samples were taken after intervals up to
22 h at 20°C. Destruction of approximately 2 to 3 logs was observed with both
bacteria associated with alfalfa seeds, versus 5 to 6 logs with mung beans.
Greater kills are apparently associated with lower initial bacterial loads.
Germination of these seeds was unaffected by the treatment. It appears that this
simple treatment could contribute significantly to the safety of sprout
production from alfalfa seeds and mung beans. |