Antimicrobial effect of natural fruit extracts against Salmonella on whole and fresh-cut cucumbers

The efficacy of fruit extracts in reducing Salmonella on whole and fresh-cut cucumbers was investigated. Fresh cucumbers inoculated with Salmonella were treated with fruit extracts (10% lemon, 10% yuzu, 1% naringin, or 1% resveratrol) and stored at various temperatures. Salmonella populations on the whole or sliced cucumbers during storage were determined. Naringin and resveratrol treatments significantly reduced Salmonella to < 0.5 log CFU/cm(2) compared to 3.6 log CFU/cm(2) recovered from control whole cucumbers on day 7 at 22 degrees C. Treatment with 10% lemon extract significantly reduced Salmonella on whole cucumbers by 1.8 and 2.5 log CFU/cm(2) after 7 days of storage at 10 and 22 degrees C, respectively. Salmonella populations declined by similar to 2 log CFU/g on first- and second-cut slices of the cucumbers treated with 10% lemon extract (p < .05). The results reveal that fruit extracts especially lemon could potentially be used to reduce Salmonella on cucumbers at the postharvest level. Novelty impact statement: Salmonellosis associated with the contamination of cucumbers have resulted in 1,476 illnesses in the United States between 2006 and 2018. Since cucumbers are often consumed raw, effective interventions to improve cucumber safety are needed. Natural fruit extracts especially lemon exerted effective anti-Salmonella efficacy on the whole cucumbers and subsequently reduced the cross contamination of this pathogen during fresh-cut process. Results of this study suggest that fruit extracts could be used as environmentally friendly postharvest spray treatments against Salmonella on whole and fresh-cut cucumbers during storage.