Three-dimensional epicuticular wax on plant surface reduces attachment and survival rate of Salmonella during storage

Abstract Salmonella is the second most common foodborne pathogen for leafy vegetables, therefore understanding how to reduce Salmonella attachment onto produce surface is crucial to combat salmonellosis. Epicuticular wax is the outermost layer on the leaf surface that directly interact with food pathogen attachment. The hydrophobic nature of epicuticular wax was found to increase pathogen resistance, however, there is limited study on if three-dimensional epicuticular wax on the leaf can reduce Salmonella attachment. This study aims to test whether the presence of three-dimensional epicuticular wax crystals decreases the attachment of Salmonella on leafy green surfaces. Using gum arabic paste, three-dimensional epicuticular wax was removed from three waxy plants (USVL188-NG, USVL115-NG, and ‘Top Bunch’ collard). Leafy surfaces in disks were dip-inoculated with a mixture of Salmonella Typhimurium and Tennessee at day 0, followed by aerobic storage at 4.0 ± 0.2 °C for 14 d. After 30-minute inoculation, significantly lower (P