Effect of Different Conditions of Citric Acid and Acetic Acid Decontamination against Esherichia coli in Lettuce

John Tang, Yew Huat and Nur Musfirah Iman, Rosli (2018) Effect of Different Conditions of Citric Acid and Acetic Acid Decontamination against Esherichia coli in Lettuce. Journal of Agrobiotechnology, 9 (1S). pp. 54-61. ISSN 2180-1983

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Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different conditions of citric acid and acetic acid decontamination against Escherichia coli in lettuce. The samples were inoculated with E. coli and kept for 24 h at 4°C. The samples were decontaminated by using different concentrations of citric acid and acetic acid (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%), different exposure times (0, 15 and 30 min) and different physical applications (agitation and without agitation). The number of E. coli was counted after incubation at 37°C for 24 h. The result shows that citric acid and acetic acid were effective in removing E. coli at concentration of 1.0% without agitation while application of physical forces significantly increases the efficiency of citric acid and acetic acid in eliminating E. coli with concentration at 0.5% after 15 min. There is no significant difference with regards to 30 mins decontamination duration compared to 15 mins. The citric acid and acetic acid with the application of physical force are more effective compared to citric acid and acetic acid without the agitation. In conclusion, citric acid and acetic acids could be used as a disinfecting agents for decontamination of fresh produce in home application and food service sectors.

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