Survival of Aeromonas hydrophila in fresh tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill) stored at different temperatures and treated with chlorine

This study examines the survival of two Aeromonas hydrophila strains (A. hydrophila ATCC 7965 [strain A] and A. hydrophila isolated from food [strain B]) on the surface and core tissue of fresh tomatoes stored at different temperatures and the efficacy of chlorine treatment on their survival. Counts...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of food protection 1998-04, Vol.61 (4), p.414-418
Main Authors: Velazquez, L. del C. (Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Sa Luis, Argentina), Escudero, M.E, DiGenaro, M.S, DeCortinez, Y.M, Guzman, A.M.S. de
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AEROMONAS HYDROPHILA
Aeromonas hydrophilia
ALIMENTOS
ALMACENAMIENTO
Biological and medical sciences
CHEMICAL TREATMENT
CHLORE
CHLORINE
CLORO
Food industries
FOOD SAFETY
FOODS
Fruit and vegetable industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
INNOCUITE DES PRODUITS ALIMENTAIRES
INOCUIDAD ALIMENTARIA
Lycopersicon esculentum
PRODUIT ALIMENTAIRE
STOCKAGE
STORAGE
TEMPERATURA
TEMPERATURE
TOMATE
TOMATOES
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Summary:This study examines the survival of two Aeromonas hydrophila strains (A. hydrophila ATCC 7965 [strain A] and A. hydrophila isolated from food [strain B]) on the surface and core tissue of fresh tomatoes stored at different temperatures and the efficacy of chlorine treatment on their survival. Counts of A. hydrophila on the surface of tomatoes stored at 25 and 35 degrees C were significantly higher between days 1 and 4 for both strains as compared to results obtained at 6 degrees C. Core tissue counts of A. hydrophila cells on tomatoes dipped in a cellular suspension at 25 degrees C and stored at 25 degrees C were significantly higher (P 0.05) than counts obtained with dip suspensions at 6 or 35 degrees C. In chopped tomatoes stored at 25 and 35 degrees C, populations of aerobic mesophiles showed significant increases after 96 and 70 h, respectively. The populations of both A. hydrophila strains in chopped tomatoes stored at 6 degrees C increased significantly after 96 h, while at 25 and 35 degrees C the counts increased in the first hours of incubation. Viable counts of A. hydrophila on the surface and central tissue of tomatoes significantly decreased (P 0.05) when the samples were dipped for 2 min in chlorine at a concentration of 50 ppm (50 micrograms/ml). The results suggest that tomatoes should be kept at low temperatures during storage, shipping, and retail stocking and that chlorine at a concentration of 50 ppm should be used to reduce the levels of A. hydrophila
ISSN:0362-028X
1944-9097
DOI:10.4315/0362-028X-61.4.414