Combinations of selected physical and chemical hurdles to inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple and orange juices

- Inactivation rates of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in juices increased at higher temperature.
- Biphasic inactivation behavior was observed in ultrasound-treated juices.
- Lethality in ultrasound treatment was mostly due to heat from cavitation.
- Combination of ultrasound and UV resulted in increase in inactivation rate.
- Additives increase inactivation rates in ultrasound-treated juices.

This study evaluated the individual and combined efficacies of physical processing techniques such as heating, Dynashock multi-frequency ultrasound waves, ultraviolet-C (UV-C), and additives such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, α- and β-Pinene for pasteurization of orange and apple juices against acid-adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7. In heated apple juice, log-linear inactivation of the test organism resulted in D values which were used to calculate for the recommended 5-log reduction process schedules (t5D) at 45, 50, 52, 55, and 60 °C equal to 481.5, 103.6, 45.0, 22.4, and 10.54 min, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 exhibited biphasic inactivation composed of a slow inactivation lag, followed by log-linear inactivation in ultrasound-treated juice. t5D schedules were similarly calculated at 54.7 and 77.5 min for orange and apple juice, respectively. Lethal rate analyses in the ultrasound-treated apple juice revealed that 85% of the reduction in E. coli population was due to the heat liberated by cavitation. Combined ultrasound and UV-C treatment resulted in greater inactivation rates in both juices, with greater efficacy in apple juice. Supplementation of all tested additives, whether singly or in combination, similarly resulted in significantly shorter t5D schedules in both juices.