Survival of Salmonella on Biodegradable Mulch, Landscape Fabric, and Plastic Mulch
•Daily Salmonella die-off rate differed across tested ground covers.•Salmonella die-off followed bi- or tri-phasic patterns on tested ground covers.•Biodegradable mulch had the lowest Salmonella reduction 0–30 dpi.•Landscape fabric had the lowest Salmonella reduction at 140 dpi.•By 140 dpi, Salmonel...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of food protection 2025-02, Vol.88 (2), p.100444, Article 100444 |
---|---|
Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | •Daily Salmonella die-off rate differed across tested ground covers.•Salmonella die-off followed bi- or tri-phasic patterns on tested ground covers.•Biodegradable mulch had the lowest Salmonella reduction 0–30 dpi.•Landscape fabric had the lowest Salmonella reduction at 140 dpi.•By 140 dpi, Salmonella reduction was >5 log on all ground cover materials.
Ground covers are used in produce production to enhance plant growth and control diseases and pests. While various factors are considered when selecting commercial ground covers, food safety, particularly the survival of foodborne pathogens, is often overlooked. This study aimed to assess the survival of Salmonella on different ground covers, including biodegradable mulch, landscape fabric, and plastic mulch. New rolls of each ground cover were cut to fit a 100 × 15 mm petri dish and spot inoculated with a seven-strain Salmonella cocktail at approximately 6 log CFU/cm2. The inoculated coupons were stored in a climate-controlled chamber (23°C, 55% relative humidity) and sampled at 0, 0.06 (1.5 h), 0.17 (4 h), 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 30, 60, 90, and 140 days postinoculation (dpi). If counts dropped below the detection limit (5 log CFU/cm2. Survival rates at 140 dpi were highest on landscape fabric (83%, 25/30) followed by plastic mulch (50%, 15/30) and biodegradable mulch (13%, 4/30) coupons (p 0.05). Although Salmonella survival varied among ground covers in the short-term (0–30 dpi), a >5 log CFU/cm2 reduction of Salmonella was observed among all materials by 140 dpi. Findings suggest that ground cover material influences Salmonella survival and should be factored into food safety risk management strategies, especially when ground covers are reused. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0362-028X 1944-9097 1944-9097 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100444 |