ELECTROLYSED WATER COMBINED WITH CINNAMON NANOEMULSION IN CONTROLLING ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 ON FRESH-CUT LETTUCE

Abstract

To solve the food safety problem of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh-cut green leafy vegetables, and to supplement the defects of insufficient sanitizing and sub-lethality caused by the electrolyzed water method, the study proposed the sequential treatment of weakly acid electrolyzed water (WcEW) and cinnamon nanoemulsion (CN) for sanitizing purpose as a promising strategy. Through the antimicrobial test, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolism of inoculated E. coli O157:H7 on fresh-cut lettuce, the synergistic bactericidal mechanism of sequential treatment was investigated, and the quality of lettuce was evaluated.