Electrostatic Sprays of Food-Grade Acids and Plant Extracts are More Effective than Conventional Sprays in Decontaminating Salmonella Typhimurium on Spinach

:  About 40000 people fall victim to Salmonella infections every year in the United States. Recent occurrences of Salmonella contaminated spinach and its recalls have accelerated the need for efficient antimicrobials targeting these pathogens. Our study was aimed at evaluating the inhibitory properties of malic, tartaric, and lactic acids, and grape seed extract (GSE) alone and in combinations and their application methods against Salmonella Typhimurium-inoculated spinach using a response surface method. Fresh spinach leaves were washed, disinfected with sodium hypochlorite solution (0.04% v/v), rewashed with sterile deionized (DI) water, and inoculated with a 2nd-day culture of S. Typhimurium (7.0 log CFU/mL). Adhered S. Typhimurium population on day 0 were 7.5 log CFU/g. These were treated with individual and combinations of organic acids with GSE or DI water (control) adjusted to the same pH as that of the test solutions with both the modes of application and leaves were refrigerated at 4 °C. Malic acid (2%) in combination with GSE (3%) or lactic acid (3%) sprayed electrostatically showed reductions of 2.6 to 3.3 log CFU/g compared to lower log reductions (0.0 to 0.3 log CFU/g) by day 14 if sprayed conventionally. These findings indicate that malic acid in combination with GSE/lactic acid solutions applied by electrostatic spraying exhibited higher inhibition of pathogens than conventional spraying and can be used for commercial applications to enhance food safety. Practical Application:  Electrostatic spraying is a novel technology that can be used to apply natural antimicrobials onto spinach for effective decontamination of food pathogens. The technique introduces the economical use of food-grade organic acids and grape seed extract that offer health benefits in addition to antimicrobial properties. The multiple hurdle technology could be extended to disinfect other fresh produce, meat systems, and other commercial food safety applications.