Effectiveness of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride in reducing the population of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae in tomatoes,beans, and peppers

Abstract

Microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables during growth, processing, and post-harvest is a serious problem in agricultural sectors. A study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) in reducing the population of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on tomatoes, beans, and peppers. Tomatoes, beans, and peppers were inoculated by dipping in bacteria for 15 min then fruits were dried for 2 hour at ambient temperature before they were treated with 0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ppm of ADBAC. Treatments with 10, 100, and 1000 ppm ADBAC caused an 8-log CFU/ml reduction of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria on surfaces of tomatoes. Treatments with 100 and 1000 ppm ADBAC caused an 8-log CFU/ml reduction of P. syringae pv. syringae and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria on surfaces of tomatoes and peppers, respectively. However, treatment of surfaces of beans with 1000 ppm of ADBAC caused an 8-log CFU/ml reduction of P. syringae pv. syringae. Overall, a 50% reduction on population counts of both pathogens was achieved with 100 and 1000 ppm ADBAC. No X. campestris pv vesicatoria, P. syringae pv. syringae, or other bacteria were detected on the control fruits inoculated with sterile distilled water. This study's findings suggest that ADBAC has good bactericidal and sanitizing activities and could potentially be useful as a new sanitizer for food safety.