Microbial Quality and Safety of Fresh-Cut Broccoli with Different Sanitizers and Contact Times

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different sanitizers and contact times on storage quality and microbial growth in fresh-cut broccoli. Fresh broccoli samples were cut into small pieces, washed each for 90 s and 180 s in normal tap water (TW), 100 mu l/l chlorinated water (CL, pH 7), electrolyzed water (EW, pH 7.2) containing 100 mu l/l free chlorine, or 2 mu l/l ozonated water (0,). Then, samples were packaged in 30-mu m polyethylene bags and stored at 5 degrees C for 9 days. No significant differences were observed in gas composition and color parameters (L*, a*, b*, and hue angle) among different sanitizers with contact times. No off-odor was detected during the storage. A longer contact time was not effective in reducing microbial population, except with O-3 washing. O-3 with 90 s was not much effective in reducing microbial population compared with Cl or EW. However, samples washed with O-3 for 180 s observed the lowest numbers of total aerobic and coliform plate counts. The result suggested that, a longer contact time of ozone can be used as a potential sanitizer to maintain the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli.