The Effect Ultrasound and Surfactants on Nanobubbles Efficacy against and O157:H7, in Cell Suspension and on Fresh Produce Surfaces.

Removing foodborne pathogens from food surfaces and inactivating them in wash water are critical steps for reducing the number of foodborne illnesses. In this study we evaluated the impact of surfactants on enhancing nanobubbles' efficacy on O157:H7, and removal from spinach leaves. We evaluated the synergistic impact of nanobubbles and ultrasound on these two pathogens inactivation in the cell suspension. The results indicated that nanobubbles or ultrasound alone could not significantly reduce bacteria in cell suspension after 15 min. However, a combination of nanobubbles and ultrasonication caused more than 6 log cfu/mL reduction after 15 min, and 7 log cfu/mL reduction after 10 min of and , respectively. Nanobubbles also enhanced bacterial removal from spinach surface in combination with ultrasonication. Nanobubbles with ultrasound removed more than 2 and 4 log cfu/cm of and , respectively, while ultrasound alone caused 0.5 and 1 log cfu/cm of and reduction, respectively. No reduction was observed in the solutions with PBS and nanobubbles. Adding food-grade surfactants (0.1% Sodium dodecyl sulfate-SDS, and 0.1% Tween 20), did not significantly enhance nanobubbles efficacy on bacterial removal from spinach surface.