Donald W. Thayer

Reduction of Salmonella spp. and strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by gamma radiation of inoculated sprouts.

There have been several recent outbreaks of salmonellosis and infections with Escherichia coli O157:H7 linked to the consumption of raw sprouts. Use of ionizing radiation was investigated as a means to reduce or to totally inactivate these pathogens, if present, on the sprouts. The radiation D value, which is the amount of irradiation in kilograys for a 1-log reduction in cell numbers, for these pathogens was established using a minimum of five doses at 19 +/- 1 degrees C. Before inoculation, the sprouts were irradiated to 6 kGy to remove the background microflora. The sprouts were inoculated either with Salmonella spp. cocktails made with either meat or vegetable isolates or with E. coli O157:H7 cocktails made with either meat or vegetable isolates. The radiation D values for the Salmonella spp. cocktails on sprouts were 0.54 and 0.46 kGy, respectively, for the meat and vegetable isolates. The radiation D values for the E. coli O157:H7 cocktails on sprouts were 0.34 and 0.30 kGy, respectively, for the meat and vegetable isolates. Salmonella was not detected by enrichment culture on sprouts grown from alfalfa seeds naturally contaminated with Salmonella after the sprouts were irradiated to a dose of 0.5 kGy or greater. Ionizing radiation is a process that can be used to reduce the population of pathogens on sprouts.

Effect of low dose gamma radiation on lipids in five different meats

Five types of meats were irradiated by gamma radiation up to a dose of 10 kGy. The m. longissimus dorsi from pork, lamb and beef was irradiated as well as turkey leg and turkey breast muscle. After irradiation, the lipids were extracted from the muscles to ascertain the effect of irradiation. Peroxide and iodine values along with malonaldehyde concentration were used to assess any damage made to the lipids, and to note any significant differences in these compounds due to the type of muscle tissue. Peroxide and iodine values showed that at low irradiation dose, <10 kGy, there was no significant change in any of the meat lipids. Malonaldehyde concentration changed significantly at the micromolar level due to irradiation dose, but only in turkey breast muscle.

Gamma Radiation Sensitivity of Listeria monocytogenes

Seven strains of Listeria monocytogenes were irradiated in culture media or in mechanically deboned chicken meat. The survivor plots were quadratic curves when cultures were in the log phase of growth or when they were irradiated in chicken meat; cultures in the senescent phase of growth showed linear responses to irradiation. Cultures from cells surviving an irradiation dose of 1.5 kGy were no more radiation resistant that those which had had no previous exposure to irradiation. Cultures centrifuged and resuspended in water were more sensitive to radiation than those resuspended in solutions containing organic materials. These studies indicated that a dose of 2 kGy was sufficient to destroy 1 × 104 cells of L. monocytogenes .

Alfalfa seed germination and yield ratio and alfalfa sprout microbial keeping quality following irradiation of seeds and sprouts.

Foods can be treated with gamma radiation, a nonthermal food process, to inactivate foodborne pathogens and fungi, to kill insects on or in fruits and vegetables, and to increase shelf life. Gamma irradiation is especially well suited for these treatments because of its ability to penetrate commercial pallets of foods. Irradiated fruits, vegetables, poultry, and hamburger have been received favorably by the public and are now available in supermarkets. The use of irradiation on fresh alfalfa sprouts was studied to determine its effect on keeping quality as related to aerobic microbial load. After an irradiation dose of 2 kGy, the total aerobic count decreased from 10(5-8) to 10(3-5) CFU/g, and the total coliform counts decreased from 10(5-8) to 10(3-0) CFU/g. The results showed that the sprouts maintained their structure after irradiation, and the keeping quality was extended to 21 days, which is an increase of 10 days from the usual shelf life. The effect of various doses of irradiation on alfalfa seeds as measured by percent germination and yield ratio (wt/wt) of sprouts was determined. There was little effect on the percent germination, but as the dose increased, the yield ratio of alfalfa sprouts decreased. As the length of growing time increased, so did the yield ratio of the lower dose irradiated seeds (1 to 2 kGy). The irradiation process can be used to increase the shelf life of alfalfa sprouts, and irradiating alfalfa seeds at doses up to 2 kGy does not unacceptably decrease the yield ratio for production of alfalfa sprouts.

Irradiation D-Values for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella sp. on Inoculated Broccoli Seeds and Effects of Irradiation on Broccoli Sprout Keeping Quality and Seed Viability†

Like alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts can be a vehicle for bacterial pathogens, which can cause illness when they are consumed. The gamma irradiation process was used to reduce numbers of bacterial pathogens on broccoli sprouts and seeds, and the effect of this process on the seeds was studied. The irradiation destruct values for Salmonella sp. and for strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated on broccoli seeds were determined. Results obtained in this study indicate that a dose of 2 kGy reduced total background counts for broccoli sprouts from 10(6) to 10(7) CFU/g to 10(4) to 10(5) CFU/g and increased the shelf life of the sprouts by 10 days. Yield ratio (wt/wt), germination percentage, sprout length, and thickness were measured to determine the effects of various irradiation doses on the broccoli seeds. Results show a decreased germination percentage at a dose level of 4 kGy, whereas the yield ratio (wt/wt), sprout length, and thickness decreased at the 2-kGy dose level. The radiation doses required to inactivate Salmonella sp. and strains of E. coli O157:H7 were higher than previously reported values. D-values, dose required for a 1-log reduction, for the nonvegetable and vegetable Salmonella sp. isolates were 0.74 and 1.10 kGy, respectively. The values for the nonvegetable and vegetable isolated strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 were 1.43 and 1.11 kGy, respectively. With the irradiation process, a dose of up to 2 kGy can extend the shelf life of broccoli sprouts. A dose of > 2 kGy would have an adverse effect on the broccoli seed and decrease the yield of broccoli sprouts.

Toxicology Studies of Irradiation-Sterilized Chicken

Results of nutritional, genetic, and toxicological studies of shelf-stable chicken sterilized by ionizing radiaiton are presented. No evidence of genetic toxicity or teratogenic effects in mice, hamsters, rats, and rabbits was observed. There was an unexplained reduction in the hatchability of eggs of Drosophila melanogaster reared on gamma-irradiated meat. No treatment-related abnormalities or changes were observed in dogs, rats, or mice during multigeneration studies. These nutritional, genetic, and toxicological studies did not provide definitive evidence of toxicological effects in mammals due to ingestion of chicken meat sterilized by ionizing radiation.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella by Gamma Irradiation of Alfalfa Seed Intended for Production of Food Sprouts†

Inonizing irradiation was determined to be a suitable method for the inactivation of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on alfalfa seed to be used in the production of food sprouts. The radiation D (dose resulting in a 90% reduction of viable CFU) values for the inactivation of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on alfalfa seeds were higher than the D-values for their inactivation on meat or poultry. The average D-value for the inactivation of Salmonella on alfalfa seeds was 0.97 +/- 0.03 kGy; the D-values for cocktails of meat isolates and for vegetable-associated isolates were not significantly different. The D-values for nonoutbreak and outbreak isolates of E. coli O157:H7 on alfalfa seeds were 0.55 +/- 0.01 and 0.60 +/- 0.01 kGy, respectively. It was determined that the relatively high D-values were not due to the low moisture content or the low water activity of the seed. The D-values for Salmonella on alfalfa seeds from two different sources did not differ significantly, even though there were significant differences in seed size and water activity. The increased moisture content of the seed after artificial inoculation did not significantly alter the D-value for the inactivation of Salmonella. The results of this study demonstrate that 3.3- and 2-log inactivations can be achieved with a 2-kGy dose of ionizing radiation, which will permit satisfactory commercial yields of sprouts from alfalfa seed contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, respectively.

Radiation resistance ofSalmonella

SummaryThe ionizing radiation resistances of sixSalmonella species were examined. The experimental variables were the suspending medium, the presence or absence of air, and the temperature during the irradiation process.S. typhimurium ATCC 14028,S. enteritidis ATCC 9186,S. newport ATCC 6962,S. dublin ATCC 15480,S. anatum ATCC 9270, andS. arizonae ATCC 29933 were suspended in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0), brain heart infusion broth (BHI) or mechanically deboned chicken and exposed to gamma radiation from cesium-137 at 0.12 kGy per min. The radiation resistance of theSalmonella increased approximately two-fold when assayed in sterile mechanically deboned chicken rather than in buffer or BHI. The average radiation (0.30 to 1.20 kGy) D-value for all sixSalmonella strains was 0.56 kGy in mechanically deboned chicken.S. enteritidis was significantly more resistant to ionizing radiation than the other five strains ofSalmonella tested on mechanically deboned chicken. The temperature of irradiation but not the presence or absence of air significantly influenced the survival ofS. typhimurium andS. enteritidis in mechanically deboned chicken. Treatment of chicken meat with ionizing radiation would be an effective means for control ofSalmonella contamination.

Irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging for the control of Listeria monocytogenes on turkey meat.

When radiation-sterilized ground turkey meat was inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes, packaged under mixtures of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and irradiated with gamma-radiation doses of 0 to 3.0 kGy, there was a statistically significant (P < 0.05), but probably not a biologically significant, lower (0.39 log) predicted bacterial survival in the presence of 100% carbon dioxide than in the presence of 100% nitrogen. Possibly because all atmospheres contained oxygen and because a response surface design was used, gamma-radiation resistance was not significantly (P < 0.05) different in air than in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) mixtures containing 5% O2 or containing 20, 40, 60, and 80% CO2 and balance N2. The antilisterial effects of MAP mixtures containing 17.2, 40.5, and 64% CO2 and balance N2 were compared to those associated with air and vacuum packaging on turkey inoculated with approximately 5 x 10(3) CFU/g. Samples were irradiated to doses of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 kGy and were stored at 7 degrees C for up to 28 days. Irradiation treatments were significantly more lethal in the presence of air packaging than in either vacuum packaging or MAP, and in those samples that received >1.0 kGy, there was a concentration-dependent CO2 inhibition of L. monocytogenes multiplication and/or recovery.

Changes in structure and color characteristics of irradiated chicken breasts as a function of dosage and storage time

Structural change and color characteristics of chicken breasts as a function of irradiation dose and subsequent storage process were investigated by visible spectroscopy and HunterLab measurement. Ratios of R(1)=A(485 nm)/A(560 nm) and R(2)=A(635 nm)/A(560 nm,) which are related to absorbances of the visible bands at 485 nm (metmyoglobin), 560 nm (oxymyoglobin), and 635 nm (sulfmyoglobin), suggested that relative amount of oxymyoglobin either increases as a result of irradiation, or decreases with the storage process. The plot of R(1) and R(2) versus storage time showed that the increments of both R(1) and R(2) are dose-dependent and that the relative amount of oxymyoglobin species in irradiated meats begins to decompose 7-12 days later than raw meats. In addition, R(1) and R(2) values were correlated with color index E(∗) of chicken breasts.