Kazi Martha, Parlapani Foteini F, Boziaris Ioannis S, Vellios Evangelos K, Lykas Christos
Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece.
Laboratory of Marketing and Technology of Aquatic Products and Foods, Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece.
J Sci Food Agric. 2018 Mar;98(4):1369-1373. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8602. Epub 2017 Sep 19.
Aromatic plants may be contaminated with a wide range of microorganisms, making them a potential health hazard when infused or added to ready-to-eat meals. To ensure safety, the effect of gaseous ozone treatment on the population of aerobic plate counts (APC), hygienic indicators (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae) and fungi was investigated for five dried aromatic plants: oregano, thyme, mountain tea, lemon verbena and chamomile. Selection, isolation and further fungi identification were based on the phenotypic and macro- and microscopic characteristics.
Prior to ozonation, APC on five dried aromatic plants was in the range 5-7 log colony-forming units (CFU) g . The APC exhibited a 4 log reduction, from around 6.5 to 2.5 in the case of oregano, and only a 1-2 log reduction for other herbs after 30 or 60 min of 4 ppm gaseous ozone treatment. Enterococcus spp. and E. coli were not detected on any of the tested dried aromatic plants. The fungi counts were 2-4 log CFU g before ozonation. Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp, Cladosporium spp, Alternaria spp, Fusarium spp., Ulocladium spp. and some unknown fungi were detected on plants before ozone treatment. Aspergillus spp. and/or Penicillium spp. were only detected on mountain tea and thyme plant material after 60 min of ozonation.
The present study provides information about the efficiency of ozone on the microbial decontamination of dried aromatic plants. Treatment with gaseous ozone at 4 ppm for 30 min in the case of dried oregano and 60 min in the case of chamomile and lemon verbena could be used as alternative disinfection methods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
芳香植物可能被多种微生物污染，当将其浸泡或添加到即食食品中时，会对健康构成潜在危害。为确保安全，研究了气态臭氧处理对5种干燥芳香植物（牛至、百里香、山茶花、柠檬马鞭草和洋甘菊）的需氧平板计数（APC）、卫生指标（大肠杆菌、肠球菌和肠杆菌科）及真菌数量的影响。真菌的选择、分离及进一步鉴定基于其表型以及宏观和微观特征。
在臭氧处理前，5种干燥芳香植物上的APC为5 - 7 log菌落形成单位（CFU）/g。经过4 ppm气态臭氧处理30或60分钟后，牛至的APC降低了4 log，从约6.5降至2.5，而其他草药仅降低了1 - 2 log。在所测试的任何干燥芳香植物上均未检测到肠球菌和大肠杆菌。臭氧处理前真菌数量为2 - 4 log CFU/g。在臭氧处理前，植物上检测到曲霉属、青霉属、枝孢属、链格孢属、镰刀菌属、格孢腔菌属及一些未知真菌。臭氧处理60分钟后，仅在山茶花和百里香植物材料上检测到曲霉属和/或青霉属。
本研究提供了有关臭氧对干燥芳香植物进行微生物去污效率的信息。对于干燥的牛至，4 ppm气态臭氧处理30分钟，对于洋甘菊和柠檬马鞭草处理60分钟，可作为替代消毒方法。© 2017化学工业协会。
