U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Microbial and Chemical Food Safety: Wyndmoor, PA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    About ERRC
                        Greetings from the Director
                                    Directions/Lodging
                                    History and Accomplishments
                    Our Work
                        Biomass Pyrolysis Research
                                    IPMP 2013
                                    IPMP Dynamic Prediction
                                    IPMP Global Fit
                                    Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP)
                                    Predictive Microbiology Information Portal (PMIP)
                                    PoultryFARMSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania Eastern Regional Research Center Microbial and Chemical Food Safety Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            CHEN, WENXUAN - Zhejiang Academy Of Agricultural Sciencesitem
                                            Jin, Zhonglinitem
                                            Gurtler, Joshuaitem
                                            Geveke, Daviditem
                                            Fan, Xuetong
  Submitted to: International Journal of Food Microbiology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2012
                                    Publication  Date: 4/1/2012
                                    Citation: Chen, W., Jin, Z.T., Gurtler, J., Geveke, D.J., Fan, X. 2012. Inactivation of Salmonella on whole cantaloupe by application of an antimicrobial coating containing chitosan and allyl isothiocyanate. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 155:165-170.Interpretive Summary: Recently recalls due to cantaloupe contamination with Salmonella and Listeria have heightened public concern as to the microbiological safety of this fruit. An antimicrobial coating method was developed to decontaminate cantaloupes. The coating solutions with chitosan and allyl isothiocyanate killed more than 99.999 percent of Salmonella on the surface of cantaloupes and prevented them from recontamination. These results indicate that the application of an antimicrobial coating may be an effective method for decontamination of cantaloupes.
                                Technical Abstract: This study investigated the antimicrobial effect of a chitosan coating + allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) and nisin against Salmonella on whole fresh cantaloupes. Cantaloupes were inoculated with a cocktail of three Salmonella strains and treated with chitosan, chitosan + AIT, chitosan + nisin, and chitosan + AIT + nisin coatings. With AIT concentrations increasing from 10 to 60 ppm, the antibacterial effects of coating treatments against Salmonella increased. Chitosan coatings with 60 ppm AIT (chitosan+60AIT) reduced more than 5 log CFU/cm2 of Salmonella. The addition of nisin to the chitosan-AIT coating synergistically increased the antibacterial effect; coatings with nisin (25 mg/ml or 25000 IU/ml) + 30 ppm AIT resulted in a 4.8 log reduction of Salmonella. The chitosan + 60AIT coating significantly (p is less than 0.05) reduced populations of native bacteria on cantaloupes to ca. 2 log CFU/cm2 during the first 6 days and the populations remained the same through day 14 at 10C. The same coating treatment completely inactivated mold and yeast on cantaloupe at day 1 and no regrowth occurred up even after 14 days of storage. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that cell membrane damage and leakage of intercellular components occurred as a result of the chitosan-AIT coating treatments. No changes in overall appearance and color of cantaloupe rind and flesh due to coating treatments were observed during storage by visual evaluation. These results indicate that the application of an antimicrobial coating may be an effective method for decontamination of cantaloupes.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov