Photocatalytically enhanced inactivation of internalized pathogenic bacteria in fresh produce using UV irradiation with nano-titanium dioxide

Once pathogens are internalized in fresh produce, they pose a challenging food safety issue because they are not effectively inactivated by conventional rinsing or sanitization. To protect food safety and public health, the objectives of this study were to examine internalized levels of foodborne pathogens in different types of fresh produce and to investigate the effectiveness of photocatalytically enhanced inactivation of internalized pathogens in fresh produce using UV irradiation with titanium dioxide (TiO₂). For this, green fluorescent protein–labeled Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were inoculated on the leaf surface of four types of fresh produce (~10⁸ CFU per leaf), and varying concentrations of TiO₂ suspension (0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, and 1.50 μg/mL) were applied to the surface of contaminated leaves. Depending on the nature of each vegetable, the internalized bacterial level differed (2 to 5 log CFU/g of leaf). When UV irradiation (6,000 J/m²) was applied, the internalized Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli levels were reduced by 0.8 to 2.4 log CFU per leaf; with TiO₂, the reduction was 1.1 to 3.7 log CFU per leaf. The inactivation efficiency increased as the TiO₂ concentration increased (up to 1.50 μg per leaf). These results indicate that TiO₂ application enhanced the photocatalytic inactivation of internalized foodborne pathogens. The application of TiO₂ would be most practical before UV irradiation and before distributing the produce. This study established a platform for future research on the inactivation of various internalized pathogens for protecting public health and scaling up fresh produce treatments by the food industry.