Antibacterial and antiviral effect of essential oils combined with non-thermal disinfection technologies for ready-to-eat Romaine lettuce

Abstract

The consumer’s demands towards fresh, convenient and safe foods have prompted research into alternative food disinfection technologies. The ability of bacteria and viruses to persist in fresh produce, as well as their low infectious dose, could lead to serious foodborne problems. Our study focuses on both bacterial and viral inactivation by different essential oils (lavender, mint, sage, basil) and by combining alternative non-thermal disinfection technologies (Ultrasound and Ultraviolet Light) with essential oils on fresh ready-to-eat lettuce. The results of the present study showed that when combined UV/Essential Oils were used, enhanced disinfection efficiency was observed, compared to EOs alone (p<0.05) and combined Ultrasound/EOs treatments (p<0.05) for all bacteria. Moreover, significant results (p<0.05) were achieved with Basil and Mint EOs followed by UV and US, compared to the rest EOs for virus disinfection. Results were compared by an analysis of variance followed by Tukey's method with a significance level of p<0.05.