ABSTRACT
Foodborne diseases have emerged as an important and growing public health problem with a signi“cant impact on people’s health in many countries. In Malaysia, the incidence of noti“able foodborne diseases, namely, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, and dysentery, is less than 5/100,000 population, sporadic in nature, and outbreaks are con“ned to certain areas only. In the case of food poisoning, cases noti“ed have mainly been in institutions ranging from 20 to 30/100,000 population. Based on the laboratory-based surveillance conducted by the Ministry of Health, it was discovered that the foodborne diseases were due to Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio spp. Hence, it is essential to disinfect the food products, especially fresh-cut products, that are meant to be consumed raw (Malaysia 2004). Disinfection can be de“ned as a method to remove or inactivate pathogens on a product or surface by physical or chemical means to a level previously speci“ed as appropriate for its intended further handling or use (McDonnell 2009).
