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- Effect of electrolyzed water as a disinfectant for fresh-cut fruitPublication . Graça, Ana; Salazar, Miguel; Quintas, Célia; Manso, Teresa; Nunes, Carla; Nunes, CarlaIn fresh-cut processing the disinfection is the most important step. This process can affect the quality and the safety of the end product as well as its shelf life. Chlorine is the most used disinfectant in fresh-cut industry but due to its association with environmental and health risks, the development of alternative sanitizers is emergent. Electrolyzed water (EW) may be an alternative to the use of chlorine sanitizers and both acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) and neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) can be used with this purpose. In fact, several studies have shown that EW can be effective in reducing pathogenic bacteria on the surface of fruits and vegetables. This manuscript presents a review of electrolyzed water approaches, its antimicrobial activity in fresh-cut produce and the results of a study undertaken in our laboratory to evaluate the disinfection efficacy of AEW and NEW on fresh-cut apples and oranges. Fresh-cut apples and fresh cut oranges were inoculated with a suspension of Listeria innocua and fresh-cut oranges with Escherichia coli at a concentration of 107 cfu mL-1 and treated with the different solutions. Untreated freshcut fruits were used as control. The best sanitizing treatment for both pathogens and fruits was AEW at 200 ppm of free chlorine applied during 5 minutes.
- The effect of UV-C and electrolyzed water on yeasts on fresh-cut apple at 4 degrees CPublication . Graça, Ana; Santo, David; Pires-Cabral, Paula; Quintas, CéliaThe growth of a yeast mixture, Candida sake, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia fermentans, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, on fresh-cut apple (Royal gala), at 4 degrees C, was studied, as well as the reduction of yeasts using Ultraviolet-C (UV-C), acidic (AEW) and neutral (NEW) electrolyzed waters, and sodium hypochlorite (SH). Apple portions were contaminated then disinfected with UV-C (2.5-10 kJ/m(2)), AEW, NEW and SH (100 ppm). During 9 days at 4 degrees C, yeasts growth rate was 0.34 day(-1) and the stationary phase occurred after 6 days (7.42 LogCFU/g). The initial microbial reduction and the half-life time values, using the inverse hyperbola model, ranged from 1.72 to 1.81 LogCFU/g and 6.52-11.70 day (UV-C), or 0.91 to 1.96 LogCFU/g and 0.68-4.38 day (chemical treatments), where SH was the least efficient (0.92 LogCFU/g and 2.96 day). The most effective treatment was UV-C (7.5 and 10 kJ/m(2)). The yeasts psychrotrophic profile highlights the importance of avoiding contamination/cross-contaminations in all processing.