Decontamination Efficacy of Acetic Acid on Microbial Load in Fresh Produce from Open Markets in Khulna City, Bangladesh

• Twenty Khulna-market vegetables showed high baseline TPC (4.8×10 9 –2.74×10 10 CFU/g) . • Compared with untreated samples (T1), water washing (T2) reduced microbial loads by about 1–2 log CFU/g, while 5% acetic acid treatment (T3) achieved a further 2–4 log reduction (p < 0.0001 for T1 vs. T3)Acetic acid treatment reduced coliforms to <LOD (100 CFU/g) in all samples. • A 5% acetic acid treatment is a cost-effective method to reduce microbial load on fresh produce. Vegetables are exceptionally nutrient-dense food sources essential to our diet and are mostly preferred to be consumed uncooked for maximum benefits. In Bangladesh, they are predominantly sold in outdoor markets. However, poor handling practices can lead to bacterial contamination with pathogenic microorganisms, increasing the risk of severe foodborne infections. This study aims to quantify the bacterial load of fresh vegetables and evaluate the impact of the antimicrobial agent acetic acid on the microbial quality of fresh produce available in the local markets. Following a completely randomized design, twenty samples were subjected to 3 treatment groups: unwashed (T 1 ), washed with distilled water (T 2 ), and treated with food-grade 5% acetic acid (T 3 ). The highest and lowest Total Plate Count (TPC) value for T 1 was 2.74×10 10 cfu/g and 4.80×10 9 cfu/g, respectively, whereas in T 2 samples highest and lowest counts are 1.59×10 10 cfu/g and 2.10×10 9 cfu/g, respectively. Furthermore, in the T 3 , the values were 8.93×10 9 cfu/g and 6.67×10cfu/g, respectively, showcasing a highly significant (P<0.0001) difference between T 1 and T 3 . T1, T2, and T3 showed a very high significance (P<0.0001) difference in total Coliform count. The total Salmonella count showed a highly significant difference between T 1 and T 3, and the Total Yeast and mold count showed a very high significance difference (P<0.0001) between T 1 and T 3. The study concluded that fresh vegetables contain a hazardous level of pathogens capable of causing cross-contamination and subsequent foodborne illnesses. The application of food-grade 5% acetic acid significantly reduced the microbial population on fresh produce, thereby decreasing the risk of health hazards.