Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium in fresh-cut lettuce during chlorine washing: Assessing the impacts of free chlorine concentrations and exposure times

The aim of this study was to evaluate, quantify and model the survival of Salmonella in fresh-cut lettuce during washings with chlorinated water at different free chlorine concentrations (FCC, 0–150 mg/L). Individual fresh-cut lettuce samples (4 cm2) were inoculated with a Salmonella culture (ca. 4 log CFU/cm2) and washed with 100-mL solutions with different FCC for different times (0–150 s). The surviving Salmonella cells recovered from samples were enumerated by plate count methodology. A fast decay on Salmonella counts was marked in the first 20 s of washing, followed by a slowing down on reductions. A maximum of 2.6 log-decrease was observed after 2.5-min washing regardless of FCC concentrations. The log-lineal with tail primary model coupled with a linear secondary model was fitted to survival data obtained at FCC from 50 to 150 mg/L through global regression analysis, yielding a suitable model to describe Salmonella concentrations as a function of FCC and washing times (RMSE = 0.34, R2adj = 0.84). Simulations using the developed model showed inactivation rates varying from 0.17 CFU/s at 50 mg/L to 0.86 CFU/s at 150 mg/L. Disinfection models on lettuce are valuable tools for the validation of control measures in the fresh-cut produce industry and for quantitative risk assessments.