Effect of combined ozone and organic acid treatment for control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes on lettuce

This study was conducted to determine the effects of ozonated water (1, 3, and 5 ppm) alone with different exposure times (0.5, 1, 3, or 5 min), and combinations of 3 ppm ozone with 1% organic acids (acetic, citric, or lactic acids) during 1-min exposure for inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes on lettuce and to observe the regrowth of these pathogenic bacteria on treated lettuce during storage for 10 d at 15 °C. Results showed that 5 ppm ozone treatment for 5 min gave 1.09-log and 0.94-log reductions of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes, respectively, indicating insignificant reductions compared with 3 ppm ozone treatment for 5 min. Treatment with 3 ppm ozone combined with 1% citric acid for 1 min immersing resulted in 2.31- and 1.84-log reductions (P < 0.05), respectively. During storage at 15 °C for 10 d after combined treatment and packaging, populations of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes increased to approximately 9.0-log colony forming unit (CFU)/g, indicating that this treatment did not have a residual antimicrobial effect during storage. Although the storage study did not show control of these pathogens, the combined ozone-organic acid treatment was more effective in reducing population levels of these pathogens on lettuce than individual treatments.