Inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium on red chili peppers by treatment with gaseous chlorine dioxide followed by drying

Chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) powder and other powdered spices containing chili peppers are occasionally contaminated with foodborne pathogens. We applied chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas treatment to chili peppers prior to drying to inactivate Salmonella Typhimurium. Chili peppers inoculated with S. Typhimurium were exposed to ClO2 gas generated from 0.77 mL of aqueous ClO2 for 6 h at 25 °C and 100% relative humidity, followed by air drying at 55 °C for up to 24 h. Populations of S. Typhimurium and total aerobic bacteria (TAB) on peppers, chromaticity values, and moisture content were determined after various treatment times. S. Typhimurium (ca. 5.6 log cfu/g) was reduced to <0.7 log cfu/g of peppers treated with ClO2 gas for 0.5 h at 25 °C, but was detected by enrichment (>1 cfu/10.8 g) after treatment for 4 h. The pathogen was not detected after treatment with ClO2 gas for 6 h. S. Typhimurium did not decrease significantly (P > 0.05) on peppers exposed to air at 25 °C for 6 h, but rapidly decreased to 1.6 log cfu/g after subsequent drying for 6 h at 55 °C. The initial number of TAB (ca. 6.5 log cfu/g) decreased to 1.4 log cfu/g after treatment with ClO2 gas for 0.5 h and was less than the detection limit (0.7 log cfu/g) after 2 h. TAB counts were not reduced by treating peppers with air for 6 h, but decreased to <0.7 log cfu/g after subsequent drying for 24 h at 55 °C. The lightness (L value) of treated and untreated chili peppers did not change during drying, but redness (a value) and yellowness (b value) decreased. Results showed that treatment of chili peppers containing S. Typhimurium (5.6 log cfu/g) with ClO2 gas for 6 h prior to drying at 55 °C reduced the population to < 1 cfu/10.8 g.