Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
Food Microbiol. 2024 Oct;123:104586. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104586. Epub 2024 Jun 21.
Wood is reportedly more difficult to maintain in hygienic condition versus other food contact materials, yet its use in produce packing and retail warrants efforts to reduce the risk of microbial pathogen contamination and attachment. This study characterized antifouling capabilities of fluorinated silanes applied to wood used in fresh edible produce handling to render the wood superhydrophobic and less supportive of bacterial pathogen attachment. Pine and oak cubic coupon surfaces were treated with 1% (w/w) silane or left untreated. Treated and untreated coupons were inoculated with Salmonella enterica or Listeria monocytogenes and held to facilitate pathogen attachment for 1, 4, or 8 h. Silane treatment of wood produced significant reductions in the proportions of strongly attaching cells for both pathogens versus loosely attaching cells (P < 0.01). Salmonella attachment demonstrated a dependency on wood treatment; silane-treated wood supported a lower fraction of strongly adhering cells (1.87 ± 1.24 log CFU/cm) versus untreated wood (3.72 ± 0.67 log CFU/cm). L. monocytogenes demonstrated significant declines in strongly attaching cells during extended exposure to silane-treated wood, from 7.59 ± 0.14 to 5.27 ± 0.68 log CFU/cm over 8 h post-inoculation. Microscopic analysis demonstrated silane treatment increased the surface roughness of both woods, leading to superhydrophobic conditions on wood surfaces, consequently decreasing strong attachment of pathogenic bacteria.
据报道，木材在卫生条件方面比其他食品接触材料更难维持，但考虑到其在农产品包装和零售方面的应用，仍需要努力降低微生物病原体污染和附着的风险。本研究旨在表征应用于新鲜食用农产品处理的木材的氟硅烷的防污能力，使木材具有超疏水性和减少细菌病原体附着的能力。松木和橡木立方试件表面用 1%（w/w）硅烷处理或不做处理。用未经处理的和处理过的试件接种肠炎沙门氏菌或单核细胞增生李斯特菌，并保持接种物附着 1、4 或 8 小时。硅烷处理木材可显著降低两种病原体的强附着细胞与弱附着细胞的比例（P < 0.01）。肠炎沙门氏菌的附着依赖于木材的处理方式；与未经处理的木材（3.72 ± 0.67 log CFU/cm）相比，硅烷处理过的木材支持的强附着细胞比例较低（1.87 ± 1.24 log CFU/cm）。单核细胞增生李斯特菌在暴露于硅烷处理过的木材时，其强附着细胞数量显著减少，从接种后 8 小时的 7.59 ± 0.14 降至 5.27 ± 0.68 log CFU/cm。显微镜分析表明，硅烷处理增加了两种木材的表面粗糙度，导致木材表面呈现超疏水性，从而减少了病原菌的强附着。
