Effect of ionizing radiation on fresh vegetables artificially contaminated with Vibrio cholerae

Lettuce, cabbage and celery were artificially contaminated with Vibrio cholerae El Tor 01 Inaba, and irradiated at 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 kGy. Non-irradiated samples were used as controls. The effect of irradiation was measured during 7-days storage under refrigeration, from the viewpoints of microbiological (MPN), nutritional (Vitamin C content), and sensory quality. Irradiation proved to be an effective technique to eliminate V. cholerae in fresh vegetables. Doses of less than 0.75 kGy were sufficient to eliminate an initial contamination of 105 cells/g of V. cholerae; neither sensory properties or nutritional quality (Vitamin C content) were adversely affected by the treatment. The cost of irradiating the vegetables at 0.5 kGy under the conditions of the study was US$ 0.131, 0.067 and 0.445 per unit of lettuce, cabbage and celery, respectively. (author)