Safety improvement of mung bean and alfalfa sprouts by using combinations of calcium hypochlorite and high pressure applied to seeds

Resumen del póster presentado al "EFFOST Annual Meeting 2011" celebrado en Berlín del 9 al 11 de noviembre.The use of germinated seeds as food originated in far east countries and has recently spread to the western world, where they are considered fashionable and healthy ingredients. However, sprouting provides suitable conditions for microbial proliferation, reaching populations as high as 108–1011 CFU/g (2, 3) These high microbial counts are the main reason for the short shelf-life of sprouts and increase the likelihood of infections if seeds are contaminated with pathogens US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the decontamination of seeds before sprouting, the most effective stage due to lower levels of both microorganisms and organic material present on seeds than on sprouts and, to the fact that internalisation of bacteria into sprout tissues during sprouting makes them physically inaccessible to sanitizers. In the current study, high pressure, temperature and calcium hypochlorite were applied to seeds for creating “hurdle” effects that could significantly decrease the microbial contamination of seeds, without impairing the germination capability. The effects of the three independent variables on five response variables: (a) percentage of germination, reduction of: (b) total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, (c) total coliforms, (d) faecal coliforms and (e) mould and yeast counts on alfalfa sprouts were studied. The counts of these microorganisms were reduced in sprouts at levels in the margin of safety required by the FDA, maintaining the seeds acceptable germination rates, when lower individual intensities of pressure and calcium hypochlorite than both treatments alone were applied to the seeds. The results suggest that calcium hypochlorite in combination with HP may be a feasible seeds pretreatment for use it in the commercial production of mug bean and alfalfa sprouts. Moreover, it has the advantage that it is easy to implement by the industry.Peer reviewe