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Enhanced Sanitization of a Human Norovirus Surrogate in Fresh Vegetables and Fruits by a Combination of Surfactants and Sanitizers

Predmore, Ashley N.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306441160

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Food Science and Nutrition.
Fruits and vegetables are a major vehicle for transmission of foodborne enteric viruses since they are easily contaminated at pre- and post-harvest stages and undergo little or no processing. Particularly, human norovirus accounts for more than 40% of outbreaks in fresh produce. However, commonly used sanitizers are ineffective for sanitization of foodborne viruses from fresh produce. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a more effective sanitizer for removing foodborne viruses from fresh produce. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effectiveness of a panel of sanitizers and surfactants on sanitization of a human norovirus surrogate, murine norovirus 1 (MNV-1), from fresh produce. We showed that organic acids slightly enhanced virus sanitization, and such effect depended on the type of fresh produce. Importantly, we found that surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Nonidet P-40 (NP-40), Triton X-100, and polysorbates (Tween 20), significantly enhanced the sanitization of viruses from fresh fruits and vegetables. While tap water alone and chlorine solution (200 ppm) only reduced less than 1.2 logs of virus in all fresh produce, 50 ppm of surfactant solution was able to achieve 3 logs of virus reduction in strawberry and approximately 2 logs of virus reduction in lettuce, cabbage and raspberry. Moreover, approximately 3 logs of virus reduction were observed in all the tested fresh produce after sanitization with a combination of 50 ppm of each surfactant and 200 ppm of chlorine solution. These results demonstrated that the combination of a surfactant with a commonly used sanitizer enhanced the efficiency of removing viruses from fresh produce by approximately 100 times. We also systemically determined the virucidal activities of surfactants and provided mechanistic insights into how viruses were inactivated by surfactants. Using an enveloped virus vesicular stomatitis virus, VSV) and a non-enveloped virus (MNV-1) as the models. We found that all four tested surfactants (SDS, NP-40, Triton X-100, and Tween 20) were able to show considerable virucidal activity against both VSV and MNV-1 in a concentration-dependent manner. SDS appears to be the most effective surfactant against both viruses. In addition, SDS significantly enhanced the virucidal activity of chlorine solution, the most widely used sanitizer in food industry. We further demonstrated that SDS altered the structure of the capsid of MNV-1 and disrupted the viral envelope of VSV. However, SDS did not degrade the viral capsid protein or viral genomic RNA. Taken together, our results demonstrated that (i) surfactants significantly enhanced virus sanitization in fresh produce, (ii) surfactants possess virucidal activity, and (iii) the combination of surfactants and sanitizers is a more effective strategy to inactivate viruses. Since SDS is an FDA approved food additive and polysorbates are FDA recognized GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) products, implementation of these novel sanitization strategies would be a feasible approach to efficiently reduce the virus load in fresh produce. These strategies also have great potential to be used as novel disinfectants for sanitization of other pathogens in the food industry.
Jianrong Li, PhD (Advisor)
Sheryl Barringer, PhD (Committee Member)
Ahmed Yousef, PhD (Committee Member)
128 p.
Agriculture; Food Science; Public Health; Virology
Surfactants; Produce; Virus; Norovirus; Public Health; Inactivation; Foodborne Illness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Predmore, A. N. (2011). Enhanced Sanitization of a Human Norovirus Surrogate in Fresh Vegetables and Fruits by a Combination of Surfactants and Sanitizers [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306441160

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Predmore, Ashley. Enhanced Sanitization of a Human Norovirus Surrogate in Fresh Vegetables and Fruits by a Combination of Surfactants and Sanitizers. 2011. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306441160.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Predmore, Ashley. "Enhanced Sanitization of a Human Norovirus Surrogate in Fresh Vegetables and Fruits by a Combination of Surfactants and Sanitizers." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306441160

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.