Antibacterial effects of vinegar N6 and UV-C light-emitting diodes against Shiga toxin-producing and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in fresh beef

Eun Young Ro; Mi Ri Choi; Young Min Park; Sang Gu Kim; Sang Yun Lee

doi:10.1007/s10068-023-01260-x

Antibacterial effects of vinegar N6 and UV-C light-emitting diodes against Shiga toxin-producing and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in fresh beef

Food Sci Biotechnol. 2023 Feb 1;32(9):1205-1214. doi: 10.1007/s10068-023-01260-x. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Eun Young Ro¹, Mi Ri Choi¹, Young Min Park¹, Sang Gu Kim¹, Sang Yun Lee¹

Affiliation

¹ Food Safety Center, Pulmuone Institute of Technology, 29, Osongsaengmyeong 10-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28220 Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Some Escherichia coli serotypes cause diarrhea in infants and acute gastroenteritis. In this study, the incidence of Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) E. coli in 310 fresh raw beef samples and the presence of pathogenicity-associated virulence genes in the isolated strains were evaluated. The contamination rate reached 18.06% (STEC, 12.26%; EHEC, 5.81%). The highest rate of identified virulence genes was 8.38% for stx₂ and 3.23% for stx₂ and eae in STEC and EHEC, respectively. Vinegar N6 significantly lowered E. coli growth in beef samples, depending on its concentration (> 0.5%), treatment temperature (5 or 10 °C), and E. coli type (STEC, EHEC, or enteropathogenic), during 28 days of storage. However, no bactericidal effects were detected, unlike those observed for combined treatment with UV-C LED and vinegar N6. Treatment with vinegar N6 and UV-C LED together may significantly reduce E. coli growth in fresh beef, thereby improving food safety.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01260-x.

Keywords: Beef; Enterohemorrhagic E. coli; Natural antimicrobial; Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; Ultraviolet-C light-emitting diode.

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