Raw leafy greens are commonly associated with global foodborne outbreaks due to pathogenic contaminants. In the current study, greens, such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and mint (Mentha spicata L.) showed presence of coliforms (including E. coli)along with other aerobic microbes, yeast and molds. These vegetables mostly consumed in raw or culinary purpose, and hence increase the chances of food borne illnesses. Moreover, the leafy greens are perishable. In this context, we optimized a combination process including radiation treatment to achieve hygienization and shelf life extension of these leafy green vegetables. The combination treatment comprising potable water wash, chlorination (NaOCl-200 ppm) followed by irradiation (2 kGy using electron beam or gamma) was developed, and the processed samples showed keeping quality up to 15 days at 4-6°C, whereas control samples spoiled within two days. The treatment resulted in coliform count below detection level while retaining the nutritional, phenolic content and organoleptic qualities. Thus, the combination treatment could ensure safety, keeping quality enhancement of perishable leafy greens and to control global food outbreaks. Electron beam over gamma processing found to be a commercial viable option due to its high throughput and equal efficacy in microbial decontamination.

中文翻译：

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包括电离辐射以提高叶类蔬菜的卫生和延长货架期的组合过程

绿叶蔬菜通常与致病性污染物引起的全球食源性疾病爆发有关。在当前的研究中，菠菜（S pinacia oleracea L.），香菜（Coriandrum sativum L.）和薄荷（Mentha spicata L.）等蔬菜均显示出大肠菌（包括大肠杆菌）的存在。）以及其他有氧微生物，酵母和霉菌。这些蔬菜主要以生食或烹饪为目的食用，因此增加了食源性疾病的机会。此外，绿叶蔬菜容易腐烂。在这种情况下，我们优化了包括辐射处理在内的组合过程，以实现这些多叶绿色蔬菜的卫生和延长保质期。开展了包括饮用水洗涤，氯化（NaOCl-200 ppm），然后进行辐照（使用电子束或伽马射线进行2 kGy）的组合处理，处理后的样品在4-6°C的温度下保持长达15天的质量，而对照样品在两天内变质。该处理导致大肠菌群计数低于检测水平，同时保留了营养，酚类含量和感官品质。因此，联合治疗可以确保安全，保持易腐烂绿叶蔬菜的质量，并控制全球粮食暴发。由于其高通量和在微生物净化中的等效功效，电子束在伽马射线处理上被认为是商业上可行的选择。