Jan Narciso

Effects of chitosan-essential oil coatings on safety and quality of fresh blueberries.

UNLABELLED Chitosan coating plus different essential oils was developed and applied to fresh blueberries in order to find more natural treatments to preserve fresh fruit quality and safety during postharvest storage. Studies were 1st performed in vitro where wild-type Escherichia coli and Penicillium digitatum were grown in suitable media, and then subjected to 6 essential oils. Three compounds, carvacrol (CAR), cinnamaldehyde (CIN), and trans-cinnamaldehyde (ECIN) had high antimicrobial capacity and were selected for an in vivo study for postharvest storage of blueberries. The selected essential oils, 0.5% each, were added into a chitosan solution and coated on fresh blueberries. After storage at 5, 10, and 20 °C for various days, fruit firmness and microbial populations were evaluated. The chitosan coating substantially decreased bacteria and yeasts/molds on the fruit, and all 3 essential oils added to the antimicrobial activities. Further dosage experiments showed that the antimicrobial activity remained even when lowering CAR concentration to 0.1% and ECIN to 0.2%. Chitosan, CAR, and ECIN also maintained fruit firmness. Our results suggest that chitosan coatings containing essential oils are effective in extending the shelf life of fresh blueberries. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Blueberries are high-value fruit with strong antioxidant capacity and other health-promoting benefits. However, microbial food safety is an increasing concern, and decay and softening limits their storability. A combination of ≥ 0.1% CAR or ≥ 0.2% ECIN with a chitosan coating effectively reduced softening of fresh berries and decay by inhibiting microbial growth.

Effect of Liberibacter Infection (Huanglongbing or “Greening” Disease) of Citrus on Orange Juice Flavor Quality by Sensory Evaluation

UNLABELLED Some anecdotal reports suggest that infection of citrus trees with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), the suspected causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB) disease, imparts off flavor to orange juice. It is of interest to the industry to know how Las infection affects juice quality with respect to cultivar, maturity, or processing method. Hamlin, Midsweet, and Valencia oranges were harvested over 2 y from trees that tested negative (Las-) or positive (Las+) for Las from different groves and included normal looking (nonsymptomatic) and symptomatic fruit (small, green, and lopsided) from Las+ trees. In the 1st year, fruit were manually juiced, while in the 2nd year, a commercial process was used. Juice from Las+ trees was compared to juice from Las- trees in difference-from-control tests, and by descriptive analysis. Results showed large variability due to tree, harvest date, and cultivar. Juice from Hamlin Las+ trees tended to be more bitter and sour than its Las- counterpart. In contrast, hand processed Valencia juice from Las+ trees was perceived to have some off-flavor and bitterness compared to control, but the following year, commercially processed Valencia juice from Las+ trees was perceived to be only slightly more sour than juice from Las- trees for the April harvest, and to be sweeter for the June harvest. When juice from individual replicates was pooled to be more representative of a commercial situation, there was no difference between Las+ and Las- juice in Valencia. Trained panel differences were noted for juice from Hamlin Las+ fruit, especially for symptomatic fruit. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Assumptions that juice made from oranges harvested from Huanglongbing (from infection with Liberibacter sp.) affected trees is off-flavored appeared to be generally more true for Hamlin juice than for Midsweet or Valencia, especially for Hamlin juice made from symptomatic fruit. For Midsweet and Valencia, flavor differences between juice made from fruit harvested from diseased or healthy trees varied greatly between trees, season, and even processing method. Under a commercial processing situation, where juice is blended from several varieties, seasons, and multiple locations, it is expected that off-flavor will not be a major problem.

Antimicrobial activity of controlled-Release chlorine dioxide gas on fresh blueberries

The effect of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas on the safety and quality of blueberries was studied. In vitro studies revealed that both ClO2 gas fumigation and ClO2 direct contact in water killed food pathogen bacterium Escherichia coli and fruit decay pathogen fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. In vivo studies were conducted using noninoculated berries and berries inoculated with postharvest decay and foodborne pathogens. Berries were inoculated with either E. coli (5.2 log CFU/g) or C. acutatum (3.9 log CFU/g). Inoculated fruit were dried for 2 h at room temperature in a climate-controlled laboratory and packed in perforated commercial clamshells, with or without ClO2 pads, and stored at 10°C for up to 9 days. The effects of ClO2 on microbial populations and fruit firmness were monitored during storage. In the inoculation experiment, treatment with ClO2 reduced populations of E. coli and C. acutatum by 2.2 to 3.3 and 1.3 to 2.0 log CFU/g, respectively. For the noninoculated blueberries, the initial total aerobic bacteria count and the yeast and mold count were 4.2 and 4.1 log CFU/g, respectively. ClO2 treatment reduced total aerobic bacteria count and yeast and mold count by 1.5 to 1.8 and 1.3 to 1.7 log CFU/g, respectively. The firmness of both inoculated and noninoculated blueberries was maintained by ClO2 treatment. Thus, controlled-release ClO2 gas fumigation technology shows promise as an effective and practical antimicrobial agent in commercial clamshell packaging of blueberry and other fruits.

Aspergillus niger metabolism of citrus furanocoumarin inhibitors of human cytochrome P450 3A4

Fungi metabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a number of detoxification processes, including the formation of sulfated and glycosidated conjugates. A class of aromatic compounds in grapefruit is the furanocoumarins (FCs), and their metabolism in humans is centrally involved in the “grapefruit/drug interactions.” Thus far, the metabolism by fungi of the major FCs in grapefruit, including 6′, 7′-epoxybergamottin (EB), 6′, 7′-dihydroxybergamottin (DHB), and bergamottin (BM), has received little attention. In this study, Aspergillus niger was observed to convert EB into DHB and a novel water-soluble metabolite (WSM). Bergaptol (BT) and BM were also metabolized by A. niger to the WSM, which was identified as BT-5-sulfate using mass spectrometry, UV spectroscopy, chemical hydrolysis, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Similarly, the fungus had a capability of metabolizing xanthotoxol (XT), a structural isomer of BT, to a sulfated analog of BT-5-sulfate, presumably XT-8-sulfate. A possible enzyme-catalyzed pathway for the grapefruit FC metabolism involving the cleavage of the geranyl group and the addition of a sulfate group is proposed.

Effect of copper hydroxide sprays for citrus canker control on wild-type Escherichia coli.

Aims:  To show that application of copper hydroxide citrus sprays mixed with field source water (possibly contaminated) will not support Escherichia coli on plant surfaces. Environmental stresses of transient phyllosphere bacteria and presence of copper will eradicate these bacteria before harvest.

A simple method for screening antimicrobial compounds with application to plant disease and fruit quality.

Aims:  It is often difficult to extrapolate information from a Petri dish and apply it to commercial applications as with antimicrobial assays. Often large volumes of commodities are used for a virtually untested protocol and result in an unnecessary expenditure of time and materials. An intermediate method, where experimental compounds could be tested directly on a specific commodity without expending large quantities of either sample or compound, would be practical and economical.

Controlled-release of Chlorine Dioxide in a Perforated Packaging System to Extend the Storage Life and Improve the Safety of Grape Tomatoes

A controlled-release chlorine dioxide (ClO2) pouch was developed by sealing a slurry form of ClO2 into semipermeable polymer film; the release properties of the pouch were monitored in containers with or without fruit. The pouch was affixed to the inside of a perforated clamshell containing grape tomatoes, and the effect on microbial population, firmness, and weight loss was evaluated during a 14 day storage period at 20 °C. Within 3 days, the ClO2 concentration in the clamshells reached 3.5 ppm and remained constant until day 10. Thereafter, it decreased to 2 ppm by day 14. The ClO2 pouch exhibited strong antimicrobial activity, reducing Escherichia coli populations by 3.08 log CFU/g and Alternaria alternata populations by 2.85 log CFU/g after 14 days of storage. The ClO2 treatment also reduced softening and weight loss and extended the overall shelf life of the tomatoes. Our results suggest that ClO2 treatment is useful for extending the shelf life and improving the microbial safety of tomatoes during storage without impairing their quality.

Safety of Fruit, Nut, and Berry Products

Most food safety problems associated with fruits and berries arise from fresh-cut fruits and raw juices produced to meet consumer demand for minimally processed products. This chapter describes the most important bacterial, viral, protozoan, and chemical contaminants linked to the consumption of fruits, nuts, berries, or associated products. Avenues of contamination vary for fresh commodities throughout processing and distribution, including producer and consumer mishandling. Problems have been linked to both domestically grown and imported fruits, berries, nuts, and associated products. There is no comprehensive protocol to guarantee that raw products will be free of pathogens, but careful management, record keeping, and continuous consumer education can reduce the chances of illness from contaminated fresh commodities.