Persistence of Silver Nanoparticles Sorbed on Fresh-Cut Lettuce during Flume Washing and Centrifugal Drying.

Increased agricultural use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) may potentially lead to residual levels on fresh produce, raising food safety and public health concerns. However, the ability of typical washing practices to remove Ag NPs from fresh produce is poorly understood. This study investigated the removal of Ag NPs from Ag NP-contaminated lettuce during bench-top and pilot-scale washing and drying. Ag NP removal was first assessed by washing lettuce leaves in a 4-L carboy batch system using water containing chlorine (100 mg/L) or peroxyacetic acid (80 mg/L) with and without a 2.5% organic load and water alone as the control. Overall, these treatments removed only 3-7% of the sorbed Ag from the lettuce. Thereafter, Ag NP-contaminated lettuce leaves were flume-washed for 90 s in a pilot-scale processing line using ∼600 L of recirculating water with or without a chlorine-based sanitizer (100 mg/L) and then centrifugally dried. After processing, only 0.3-3% of the sorbed Ag was removed, probably due to the strong binding of Ag with plant organic materials. Centrifugation only removed a minor amount of Ag as compared to flume washing. However, the Ag concentration in the ∼750 mL of centrifugation water was much higher as compared to the flume water, suggesting that the centrifugation water would be preferred when assessing fresh-cut leafy greens for Ag contamination. These findings indicate that Ag NPs may persist on contaminated leafy greens with commercial flume washing systems unable to substantially reduce Ag NP levels.

Behavior of Silver Nanoparticles in Chlorinated Lettuce Wash Water.

ABSTRACT: Use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in pesticides may lead to residual levels in food crops, thus raising food safety and environmental concerns. Because little is known about Ag NP behavior in wash water during typical commercial washing of fresh produce, this study assessed the temporal changes in Ag NP behavior when exposed to 2 to 100 mg/L free chlorine (Cl2) in simulated lettuce wash water for up to 10 days. Aggregate size and zeta potential of Ag NPs (5 mg/L) were evaluated in the presence and absence of dissolved lettuce extract (DLE, 0.1%), with Ag NPs in deionized water serving as the control treatment. In the presence of chlorine, greater aggregation of Ag NPs occurred over time (49 to 431 nm) compared with the control treatment (P < 0.05). Lower zeta potentials (-39 to -95 mV) were observed in the chlorine-only treatments, likely due to the formation of AgCl particles. Larger aggregates and lower zeta potentials were also observed in DLE (84 to 273 nm and -28 to -32 mV, respectively), as compared with the control treatment. After 7 to 10 days, larger aggregates were seen in the chlorine-only treatments as compared with the DLE treatments, despite lower zeta potentials, probably facilitated by nucleation and crystal growth of AgCl. Transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the formation of AgCl-Ag NP composite particles with chlorine and the embedding of AgCl and Ag NPs in the DLE matrix. Thus, DLE might stabilize and protect Ag NPs from chlorine. These findings indicate that chlorine and plant-released organic material can substantially change the behavior of Ag NPs, which may, in turn, impact both removal from fresh-cut produce during washing and their environmental fate.

Antimicrobial-resistant Listeria species from retail meat in metro Detroit.

A total of 138 Listeria isolates from retail meat, including 58 Listeria welshimeri, 44 Listeria monocytogenes, and 36 Listeria innocua isolates, were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility tests against nine antimicrobials. In addition, the 44 L. monocytogenes isolates were analyzed by serotype identification using PCR and genotyping using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Resistance to one or two antimicrobials was observed in 32 Listeria isolates (23.2%). No multidrug resistance was identified. Tetracycline resistance was the most common resistance phenotype and was identified in 22 Listeria isolates. A low prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and vancomycin was also detected. L. innocua isolates demonstrated the highest overall prevalence of antimicrobial resistance, 36.1%, followed by 34.1% in L. monocytogenes isolates and 6.9% in L. welshimeri isolates. Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b were identified in 19, 23, and 1 L. monocytogenes isolate, respectively. One isolate was untypeable. Fifteen L. monocytogenes isolates were antimicrobial resistant (12 were serotype 1/2b, 2 were 1/2a, and 1 was untypeable). A diverse population of L. monocytogenes isolates was identified, as evidenced by multiple pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns in the 44 isolates. The data indicate that Listeria contamination is common in retail meat. Although antimicrobial resistance still occurs at a low prevalence, multiple Listeria species can serve as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. Various antimicrobial susceptibilities may exist in L. monocytogenes isolates of different serotypes.