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Abstract
Preharvest irrigation water can be a contamination route for fresh produce. This study evaluated peroxyacetic acid (PAA) and chlorine treatment efficacy to inactivate Salmonella and STEC in preharvest agriculture water. Surface water collected from two sources in Georgia was inoculated with a cocktail of STEC or Salmonella. The water was equilibrated at 12℃ and 32°C and treated with chlorine (4 and 10 ppm) or PAA (6 and 10 ppm) for 5 or 10 minutes. Bacterial inactivation was analyzed using Analysis of Variance with Tuckey’s HSD for significant factors (p<0.05). Minimum 5 log bacterial inactivation was achieved for all the treatment combinations. No significant difference was observed at 32℃ for Salmonella, whereas 10ppm chlorine or PAA resulted in maximum inactivation of STEC. At 12ºC, 10ppm chlorine or PAA caused the highest bacterial inactivation for STEC and Salmonella. PAA or chlorine at 10 ppm for STEC were the most efficient treatments.