ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF CHLORINE-BASED SANITISERS COMBINED WITH OTHER TREATMENTS AGAINST LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES ON SALMON

Abstract

Listeriosis is a fatal foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Chlorine-based sanitisers combined with other treatments were proposed as effective sanitisers to inactivate L. monocytogenes on fresh packed Norwegian Farmed Atlantic salmon. The first part of this thesis was to elucidate bactericidal mechanisms of electrolysed water and mild heat treatment against three L. monocytogenes strains on salmon by interpreting cellular chemical fingerprints, comparing the discrepancy of metabolic profiles and monitoring targeted pathways by NMR-based metabolomics. The second part was to describe the inactivation kinetics of citric acid and sodium hypochlorite against L. monocytogenes on salmon by response surface methodology and their residual effects against L. monocytogenes on salmon during 12-day storage. Overall, the results provided a direction for bactericidal mechanism study and the application of sanitising methods in food industries.