| Illnesses associated with dried foods raised concerns about the effectiveness of home drying methods for pathogen destruction. Objectives were to: (1) evaluate Salmonella survival on inoculated produce prepared using recommended and modified treatments to determine their influence on pathogen inactivation during dehydration and storage; (2) evaluate acceptability of dehydrated produce prepared using treatments shown to enhance pathogen destruction and; (3) develop and evaluate educational materials and a workshop designed to encourage adoption of guidelines. Inoculated ( Salmonella, 7.8 log CFU/g) carrot slices were subjected to commonly recommended treatments, dried (6 h, 60°C) and stored (30 d). Treatments included: (1) control, (2) steam blanching (88°C, 3 min), (3) water blanching (88°C, 3 min), (4) immersion in 3.23% NaCl (25 +/- 3°C, 5 min), and (5) oven heating (80°C, 15 min) after drying. Samples were analyzed by spread-plating on tryptic soy agar with 0.1% pyruvate (TSAP) and xylose lysine deoxycholate (XLD) agar for enumeration. All samples had populations >1.7 log CFU/g after 6 h of dehydration and 30 d of storage. It was concluded that modified treatments were needed. Inoculated ( Salmonella, 7.8 log CFU/g) carrot and potato slices were subjected to modified treatments including: (1) control, (2) steam blanching (88°C, 10 min), (3) water blanching (88°C, 4 min), or (4) blanching in a 0.105% or 0.21% citric acid solution (88°C, 4 min), dried for 6 h at 60°C, and stored for 30 d. After dehydration (6 h), reductions on blanched samples (4.0--5.4 log CFU/g) were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those on controls (1.6--2.7 log CFU/g). After 30 d of storage, populations were below the detection limit (1.1 log CFU/g) on all samples except controls. It was concluded that blanching treatments enhanced inactivation of Salmonella on dried carrot and potato slices and, therefore, may enhance the safety of home dried produce. Sensory evaluations showed that treatments maintained or improved the appearance and overall acceptability of dehydrated produce. A booklet and workshop were developed to encourage adoption of new drying guidelines. Outcomes indicate improved subject knowledge (P < 0.05), attitude (P < 0.05) and behavior pre- to 6-week follow up evaluation, which may reinforce adoption of food drying guidelines. |
