ABSTRACT
Washing Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 17.3.3 Organic Acids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 17.3.4 Other Experimental Antimicrobial Washing Agents . . . . . . 390 17.3.5 Synergistic Treatment Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
17.4 Foodservice and Home Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 17.4.1 FDA Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 17.4.2 Other Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 17.4.3 Commercial Equipment and Wash Formulations
for Home or Foodservice Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 17.5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
The detection of human pathogens in fresh produce and occurrence of outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with contaminated produce, as documented in previous chapters, represent serious public health problems. Contamination of fruits and vegetables with human pathogens or organisms causing spoilage also has important economic consequences. Consequently, it is in the interests of the produce industry to develop interventions to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. If contamination is likely during crop production or harvest, it is usually better to reduce this risk by avoidance of contamination sources through implementation of good agricultural practices (GAPs). However, this is not always possible, and in such situations the grower/shipper or processor must depend on washing and sanitizing treatments as a second line of defense. If produce contamination occurs postharvest and contamination sources cannot be eliminated through improvements in plant layout, implementation of good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and improvements in plant sanitation, then washing and sanitizing of produce and equipment become the first line of defense. The subject of washing and sanitizing technology for fresh produce has been reviewed previously [1-3].
