Lactic acid (LA) and acetic acid (AA) are independently used to disinfect fresh leaf vegetables. LA has a higher efficacy but costs more than AA. Herein, we compared the disinfection efficacy of LA, AA, and their mixture on lettuce to determine whether the cheaper acid mixture shows similar or more efficacy than LA. Quality analysis indicated that the acid mixture and individual acids did not cause additional loss of instrument color and polyphenolic content compared with that of the control; however, visible defects were observed at AA concentrations exceeding 0.8%. Analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and naturally present microbes (aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, coliforms, molds, and yeasts) showed that the acid mixture led to the highest reduction in microbial count during storage. 16S rRNA sequencing was further employed to understand the effects of the acid mixture and individual acids on lettuce microbial ecology. During storage, the acid mixture and individual acids significantly decreased the abundance of Massilia spp. and Alkanindiges spp. but there was a marked increase in Escherichia-Shigella abundance (LA: 0.003-58.82%; AA: 0.01-55.34%; acid mixture: undetected to 50.71%; control: 0.007-33.09%), indicating that acid disinfection altered the microbial ecology to stimulate Escherichia-Shigella growth. These results enhance our understanding of the relationship between lettuce disinfection and ecological changes.
Keywords: 16S rRNA; acid mixture; disinfection; minimal processing; organic acid.