Microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli with different sanitizers and contact times

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different sanitizers and contact times on storage quality and microbial growth in fresh-cut broccoli. Fresh broccoli samples were cut into small pieces, washed each for 90 seconds and 180 seconds in normal tap water (TW), 100 microl/l chlorinated water (CL, pH 7), electrolyzed water (EW, pH 7.2) containing 100 microl/l free chlorine or 2 microl/l ozonated water (O(3)) separately and respectively. Then, samples were packaged in 30 microm polyethylene bags and stored at 5 degrees Celsius for 9 days. No significant differences were observed in gas composition and color parameters (L*, a*, b* and hue angle) among different sanitizers with contact times. No off-odor was detected during the storage. Longer contact time was not effective in reducing microbial population except O(3) washing. O(3) with 90 seconds was not much effective in reducing microbial population compared to Cl or EW. However, samples washed with O(3) for 180 seconds observed the lowest numbers of total aerobic and coliform plate counts. The result suggested that, longer contact time of ozone can be used as a potential sanitizer to maintain the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli.