Control of Microbes on Fruit

Because of the threat of illness and the devastation of lost fruit crops due to microorganisms, many methods for control have been researched. Not all methods examined in this paper are perfect, but they show great promise. Low-temperature, high-pressure treatments show great potential of improving the safety of unpasteuized fruit juices. Chlorine dioxide gas showed a significant amount of inactivation of E.coli O157:H7 in fruit and vegetables. Microwaves at 2450 MHz inhibited growth of pathogens and did not cause any damage to the test fruit. Alkaline washing with hot water or steam reduced microbial loads with out changing the quality of the fruit. Nitrous oxide gas has an inhibitory effect on fungal growth and increased the fruits resistance. Finally, biological controls can be more c...