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Bactericidal activity of isothiocyanate against pathogens on fresh produce

C M Lin1, J Kim, W X Du

  • 1Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-0370, USA.

Journal of Food Protection
|January 22, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) show potent bactericidal activity against foodborne pathogens like E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. AITC effectively reduced bacterial loads on produce, demonstrating its potential as a food safety treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Food Microbiology
  • Food Safety
  • Antimicrobial Agents

Background:

  • Foodborne pathogens such as *Escherichia coli* O157:H7, *Salmonella* Montevideo, and *Listeria monocytogenes* pose significant public health risks.
  • Conventional decontamination methods for produce can be limited in efficacy or impact produce quality.
  • Isothiocyanates, including allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and methyl isothiocyanate (MITC), are natural compounds with known antimicrobial properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the bactericidal efficacy of AITC and MITC against resistant strains of *E. coli* O157:H7, *S. Montevideo*, and *L. monocytogenes*.
  • To assess the effectiveness of AITC and MITC vapor treatments on reducing pathogen contamination on iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and apples.

Main Methods:

  • Bactericidal activity testing of AITC and MITC against rifampicin-resistant *S. Montevideo* and streptomycin-resistant *E. coli* O157:H7 and *L. monocytogenes* Scott A.
  • Treatment of inoculated iceberg lettuce with AITC and MITC vapors in sealed containers at 4°C for 4 days.
  • Application of AITC vapor to inoculated tomatoes and apples to assess pathogen reduction on different surfaces (skin, stem scars).

Main Results:

  • AITC exhibited stronger bactericidal activity than MITC against *E. coli* O157:H7 and *S. Montevideo*, while MITC was more effective against *L. monocytogenes*.
  • AITC vapor treatment achieved up to an 8-log reduction of *E. coli* O157:H7 and *S. Montevideo* on lettuce.
  • On tomatoes, AITC achieved an 8-log reduction on skin but only a 5-log reduction on stem scars; on apples, a 3-log reduction of *E. coli* O157:H7 was observed on stem scars.

Conclusions:

  • AITC and MITC demonstrate significant bactericidal potential against key foodborne pathogens on produce.
  • The efficacy of AITC and MITC is dependent on the bacterial species, the type of produce, the application site (e.g., skin vs. stem scar), and exposure time.
  • AITC vapor treatment shows promise for reducing pathogen loads on fresh produce, with varying effectiveness based on surface characteristics.

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