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Abstract
Salmonella is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths related to foodborne diseases in the United States, and tomatoes are the most frequently implicated produce commodity in Salmonella outbreaks. This study evaluated the efficacy of a pelargonic acid emulsion as a postharvest intervention to reduce Salmonella contamination on tomatoes. Inoculated grape tomatoes were treated with 30mM pelargonic acid, 50mM pelargonic acid, 80ppm peroxyacetic acid, 200ppm chlorine, or sterile deionized water (control); two uninoculated samples were subsequently exposed to the wash solutions to determine cross-contamination. Sanitizer-containing treatments were also examined after adding 0.5% (w/v) grape tomato puree to simulate organic load. Enumeration occurred immediately after treatment, and again after 24 hours and 7 days. The texture of treated, uninoculated tomatoes was examined. All pelargonic acid treatments limited cross-contamination and outperformed chlorine and peroxyacetic acid at reducing Salmonella on the inoculated tomato surface (p<0.05); however, pelargonic acid significantly impacted tomato texture (p<0.05).