• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.45 no.11
• /
• pp.1696-1700
• /
• 2016

In this study, acorn pomace extract (APE) was developed as a natural chemical sanitizer and substitute for chlorine-based sanitizers such as sodium hypochlorite containing harmful substances. Antimicrobial activities of APE and its combined treatments with fumaric acid (FA) and mild heat against Listeria monocytogenes inoculated on red chard were examined. Among the treatments, combined treatment of 0.5% APE at $50^{\circ}C$ and 0.5% FA was the most effective, causing reduction of L. monocytogenes populations by 3.36 log CFU/g compared to the control. After combined treatment, populations of aerobic mesophilic bacteria in the red chard decreased by 2.89 log CFU/g during storage at $4^{\circ}C$ for 8 days compared to the control. Regarding color changes in red chard upon combined treatment, there was no significant change among the red chard samples. These results indicate that combined treatment of APE, FA, and mild heat can improve microbial safety of red chard without affecting quality such as color during storage.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.161-164
• /
• 2014

To establish the pre-freezing treatment and to secure microbial safety of blueberry, Korean raspberry, and mulberry, the effects of chemical sanitizers on the populations of microorganisms in the berries were examined. Among the treatments, the combined treatment of 50 ppm aqueous chlorine dioxide and 0.1% fumaric acid reduced most the populations of total aerobic bacteria in the blueberry, Korean raspberry, and mulberry by 2.56, 2.26, and 2.56 log CFU/g, respectively, compared to the control. The populations of yeast and mold in the blueberry, Korean raspberry, and mulberry by the combined treatment were also reduced by 2.24, 2.08, and 1.49 log CFU/g, respectively. These results suggest that the combined treatment can be useful for reducing the microbial contamination and maintaining the quality of frozen berries.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.120-125
• /
• 2013

Food poisoning by Bacillus cereus is one of the common food-borne diseases and B. cereus is widely distributed in natural and commercial products owing to the strong resistance caused by biofilm or spore. The ethanol, NaCl, and organic acids of acetic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid for biocontrol of biofilm-forming B. cereus on glass wool were investigated. The biofilm on glass wool was observed in many developments after 48 h incubation. As the results of reduction of biofilm-forming B. cereus by sanitizers, reduction levels of each organic acid treatment ranged to 5-6 log CFU/g-glass wool. In case of combination treatments of 20% ethanol, 10% NaCl, and 1% of each organic acid for 1-5 min, the reduction level of biofilm-forming B. cereus was 7-8 log CFU/g-glass wool. Therefore, combination treatments of ethanol, NaCl, and an organic acid might effectively reduce biofilm-forming B. cereus in various food processes and industries.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.11.1-11.7
• /
• 2021

Background: The spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, an often-fatal infection in animals. Therefore, a rapid and reliable strategy to decontaminate areas, humans, and livestock from B. anthracis is very critical. Objectives: The aim of this study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, and quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) sanitizers, which are commonly used in the food industry, to inhibit spores and vegetative cells of B. anthracis surrogate. Methods: We evaluated the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, and a QAC in inhibiting vegetative cells and spores of a B. anthracis surrogate. We treated a 0.1-mL vegetative cell culture or spore solution with 10 mL sanitizer. The samples were serially diluted and cultured. Results: We found that 50 ppm sodium hypochlorite (pH 7), 1 ppm calcium hypochlorite, and 1 ppm QAC completely eliminated the cells in vegetative state. Exposure to 3,000 ppm sodium hypochlorite (pH 7) and 300 ppm calcium hypochlorite significantly eliminated the bacterial spores; however, 50,000 ppm QAC could not eliminate all spores. Conclusions: Calcium hypochlorite and QAC showed better performance than sodium hypochlorite in completely eliminating vegetative cells of B. anthracis surrogate. QAC was ineffective against spores of the B. anthracis surrogate. Among the three commercial disinfectants tested, calcium hypochlorite most effectively eliminated both B. anthracis vegetative cells and spores.

• Food Science and Industry
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.67-73
• /
• 2017

Control of food pathogens is critical in food safety field. Norovirus is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis and food poisoning worldwide, however, currently, there is not a vaccine or a specific drug available for its treatment. There are several methods to inactivate norovirus during food processing by chemical and physical treatments, however, the use of natural substance has been suggested as an optional strategy due to their safety and consumer preference. In this study supported by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea, we identified novel plant-derived substances with significant anti-norovirus activities. The aim of this project was to determine the antiviral activity of a wide range of natural substances, including plant-derived extracts and essential oils, using a norovirus surrogate system, human norovirus replicon-bearing cells, and mouse in vivo experiments. During the activity screening test, we identified novel anti-norovirus substances or oils using plaque assay with MNV-1. Six selected substances were formulated into an optimum mixture and used as an ingredient for salad sauce of which anti-novovirus activity was confirmed(pending for patent and paper submission). The potential application of selected natural substances as a metal surface sanitizer was also tested. Interestingly, the mixture of selected natural compounds showed a significant inhibitory effect against norovirus. These results suggest that these substances may be used as food ingredient with anti-norovirus antivity or components for surface sanitizers to prevent norovirus contamination.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.129-138
• /
• 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant surge in glove usage, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Despite efforts to ensure the quality and safety of gloves, glove-associated skin diseases such as hand dermatitis have become ubiquitous, particularly among health care workers. This review discusses the prevalence, causes, and risk factors of hand dermatitis, as well as research efforts in medical gloves in the past decade to overcome glove-related hand dermatitis. Research papers from 2013 to 2022 were reviewed, selecting only 49 relevant papers from the Ovid, PubMed, and Scopus databases. The average prevalence of hand dermatitis among health care workers increased from 21.08% to 37.24% upon the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cases are likely due to allergies to latex proteins, rubber additives, and accelerators commonly found in gloves. Using alternatives to latex gloves, such as accelerator-free and latex-free glove options, can help reduce allergy-induced hand dermatitis. Strict hand hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing and the use of sanitizers, are also contributing factors in contracting hand dermatitis. Over the past decade, glove research advancements have focused mainly on reducing or immobilizing latex proteins. These include the use of biodegradable dialdehyde, sodium alginate, arctigenin, bromelain, papain, UV-LED, prototype photoreactors, and structure-modified nanosilica with silane A174. Two effective hand dermatitis preventive measures, i.e. an additional layer of glove liners and the use of gentle alcohol-based hand sanitizer, were recommended. These advancements represent promising steps towards mitigating hand dermatitis risks associated with glove usage.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.36-44
• /
• 2002

GC-l00X is non-corrosive alkaline ionic water (pH 12). It is composed of hydroxyl radicals and supplemented with xylitol. Its antimicrobial activity was examined against 6 major food-borne pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus FRI 913, Salmonella enterica serova Enteritidis ATCC 13076, S. enterica serova Typhimurium Korean isolate, Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17803, Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43894 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 1637 at three different temperatures (4$^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$ and 36$^{\circ}C$) with or without an organic material (2% yeast extract), respectively. The antimicrobial activities showed over 4 log-reductions (1.0$\times$10$^4$CFU/ml reduction) against all pathogens reacted at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours in the absence of the organic material. The activities showed same results when GC-l00X was diluted with same volume of distilled water or standard hard water (CaCO$_3$300 ppm). Its antimicrobial activity was more effective and quicker in Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria. Its washing efficacy against E. coli O157:H7 exposed to the surfaces of tomatoes (grapes) was compared with that of the other sanitizers such as other kitchen synthetic detergent and 100-ppm chlorine water. For the toxicological evaluation of the sanitizers, viable counts of E. coli O157:H7 penetrated into the core of tomatoes after washing products were also compared. The result revealed that GC-100X stock solution and its 5% diluted solution had similar washing effects to 100-ppm chlorine water and more effective than the other kitchen synthetic detergent. This result indicated that GC- l00X had antimicrobial activity and no toxicological side effects, therefore, could be useful for a new sanitizer to use in flood safety and kitchen hygiene.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.507-512
• /
• 2017

There has been increasing concern regarding misuse of disinfectants and sanitizers such as ethanol, sodium hypochlorite, and hydrogen peroxide for food contact surfaces in the food industry. Examining the efficacy of the concentration of currently used disinfectants and sanitizers is urgently required in the Korean society. This study aimed to develop predictive reduction models for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in suspension, as a function of $ClO_2$ (chlorine dioxide) and contact time using response surface methodology. E. coli ATCC 10536 and S. aureus ATCC 6538 (initial inoculum, 8-9 log CFU/mL) in tryptic soy broth were treated with different concentrations of $ClO_2$ (5, 20, and 35 ppm) for different contact times (1, 3, and 5 min) following a central composite design. The polynomial reduction models for $ClO_2$ on E. coli and S. aureus were developed under the clean condition. E. coli reduction by 35 ppm $ClO_2$ for 1, 3, and 5 min was 2.49, 2.70, and 3.65 log CFU/mL, respectively. Also, S. aureus reduction by 35 ppm $ClO_2$ for 1, 3, and 5 min was 4.59, 5.25, and 5.81 log CFU/mL, respectively. The predictive response polynomial models developed were $R=0.43231-0.056492^*X_1-0.097771^*X_2+9.24167E-003^*X_1^*X_2+3.06333E-003^*X_1{^2}$ ($R^2=0.98$) on E. coli and $R=1.10542-0.20896^*X_1-0.046062^*X_2+8.30000E-003^*X_1^*X_2+8.73300E-003^*X_1{^2}$ ($R^2=0.99$) on S. aureus, where R was the bacterial reduction (log CFU/mL), $X_1$ was the concentration and $X_2$ was the contact time. Our predictive reduction models should be validated in developing the optimal concentration and contact time of $ClO_2$ for inhibiting E. coli and S. aureus on food contact surfaces.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 2007

Little information exists on how wash operations affect water quality, or the efficacy of sanitizers on vegetable quality and microbial reduction in fresh-cut carrot shreds. This study evaluated the efficacy of chlorine and ozone in reducing microbial loads and maintaining vegetable quality of carrot shreds. Fresh-cut carrot shreds were teated with various chlorine and ozone concentrations for differing times. The samples were then centrifuged to remove excess water, packaged in film, and stored at $5^{\circ}C$. The result indicated that varying the ozonated water wash time affected microbial growth the development of unpleasant odors, color, and the overall quality of carrot shreds. Ozonated water washing for 20 min maintained vegetable quality by inhibiting unpleasant odors, the development of whiteness, and by reducing microbial populations. A single chlorine water wash was effective and resulted in better vegetable quality when compared with two washes. Samples washed for 20 min in ozonated water, however, had better vegetable quality and smaller microbial counts compared to samples washed once in chlorine water A 20 min ozonated water wash is an attractive method for the maintenance of vegetable quality and shelf-life in fresh-cut carrot shreds.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.551-557
• /
• 2014

To improve microbiological quality of Aster scaber during storage and distribution, hurdle technology with the sanitizers and packaging methods was used. After blanching, total aerobic bacteria of Aster scaber treated with 20% ethanol and 10% NaCl were measured at 2 log CFU/g after 6 days. Total aerobic bacteria of blanched Aster scaber at $100^{\circ}C$ were measured at 2 log CFU/g, and the storage at $4^{\circ}C$ effectively inhibited the growth of bacteria. Repeated blanching using water with added NaCl at $80^{\circ}C$ showed similar microbial growth inhibition compared with treatment at $100^{\circ}C$. After vacuum packaging, blanched sample showed 2 log CFU/g of total aerobic bacteria during 10 days (the storage at $4^{\circ}C$). Therefore, repeated blanching using the water with added 10% NaCl improved the microbiological quality of Aster scaber. We also found that repeated blanching after vacuum packaging was an effective way for storage and distribution of Aster scaber. In conclusion, blanching two times in the 10% salt water or in vacuum packaging at $80{\sim}100^{\circ}C$ would be helpful to control the microbes during storage and distribution.