This study aimed to better understand the effects of acidic electrolysed water (AEW, 4 mg/L) and levulinic acid (LA, food grade, 2%) combination on organic strawberry over 7 days. This combined method reduced the population of strawberry’s natural microbiota by 1–2 log CFU/g and kept the level of inoculated Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella below the detection limit (2 log CFU/g) during the whole storage period. Meanwhile, AEW + LA did not affect the physicochemical qualities of strawberries significantly, maintaining most texture and biochemical attributes at an acceptable level (e.g., firmness, colour, soluble solids content and organic acid content). Atomic force microscopy further revealed that the treatment containing LA preserved the sodium carbonate soluble pectin (SSP) nanostructure best by maintaining their length and height, and slowed the breakdown of SSP chains by promoting acid-induced bonding and soluble pectin precipitation. These results demonstrated that low concentration AEW and LA combination is a promising sanitising approach for organic strawberry preservation.

本研究旨在更好地了解酸性电解水（AEW，4 mg/L）和乙酰丙酸（LA，食品级，2%）组合在 7 天内对有机草莓的影响。这种组合方法将草莓的天然微生物群数量减少了 1-2 log CFU/g，并保持了接种的大肠杆菌O157:H7 和沙门氏菌的水平在整个储存期间低于检测限 (2 log CFU/g)。同时，AEW + LA 对草莓的理化品质没有显着影响，大部分质地和生化属性（例如，硬度、颜色、可溶性固形物含量和有机酸含量）保持在可接受的水平。原子力显微镜进一步显示，含有 LA 的处理通过保持碳酸钠可溶性果胶 (SSP) 纳米结构的长度和高度来最好地保留它们，并通过促进酸诱导的键合和可溶性果胶沉淀来减缓 SSP 链的分解。这些结果表明，低浓度 AEW 和 LA 组合是一种有前途的有机草莓保鲜消毒方法。