Methods for reducing contamination of agricultural and aquatic products through the use of H2O2

Abstract

A method for reducing contamination of produce / seafood comprising determining whether the contamination is microbiological and / or chemical, and if so, placing the contaminated produce / seafood inside a container made of a material that is resistant to high temperatures, high vacuum, and positive pressure and that allows for the circulation of a gaseous fluid, and exposing the produce / seafood to the evaporative action of an aqueous solution containing 300-5000 ppm food grade hydrogen peroxide inside a sterilizer to obtain a produce / seafood product having a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0-99.9% reduction in chemical contamination. A produce / seafood product decontaminated by the method of the present invention having a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0-99.9% reduction in chemical contamination.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to the technical fields of agriculture and food industry, as it refers to a method for reducing microbiological and / or chemical contamination of agricultural and aquatic products through the use of food-grade hydrogen peroxide. [Background technology]

[0002] Prior Art of the Invention Patent document US6245294(B1) relates to a process and apparatus for pasteurizing materials, more specifically a method and device for killing microorganisms on food materials such as raw meat, fruits and vegetables by the controlled application of a biocide treatment gas in a sub-atmospheric pressure environment. The method includes a first step of isolating the material from the environment, a second step of exposing the material to a vacuum, a third step of treating the material with a treatment gas, a fourth step involving exposing the material to a vacuum again, and a fifth step of opening the product chamber and returning the material to the environment. The treatment substance applied is selected from one or more gases such as water vapor, ozone, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, methyl bromide, chlorine, iodine, bromine and formaldehyde, with water vapor being preferred. The treatment gas is applied in a substantially air-free form, defined here as greater than 80% by volume. The use of such gases avoids the problem of penetrating into surface irregularities such as pores and voids that may otherwise reduce the destruction of microorganisms. Due to their small size, these gases can enter any cavity large enough to accommodate a microorganism such as a bacterium. To illustrate this point, Salmonella enterica is a cell that is approximately 0.7×10 thick. -6 m and length 4×10 -6 Note that the mass of the gas molecule is a short, straight rod of about 2 × 10 -10m and therefore 10,000 times smaller than bacteria. Materials treatable by this method are limited only by the fact that they must not undergo undesirable physical changes of an irreversible nature. Food-type materials such as meat, fruits, vegetables and fungi are all susceptible to this process. Meats include fish, seafood, chicken, pork, beef and processed meats such as hot dogs and sausages. Fruits include apples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, nectarines, papayas, oranges, grapefruit, melons and pineapples. Seeds include 1) nuts such as walnuts, chestnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts and almonds; 2) grains such as corn, wheat, rice, oats, milo and buckwheat; 3) legumes such as beans and peas as well as tomatoes and cucumbers. Vegetables include carrots, broccoli, radishes, cauliflower, peppers, beets and potatoes. Non-food type materials that can be treated include clothing, surgical equipment, agricultural equipment, filtration equipment, storage containers and growing substrates. Treatment conditions can vary depending on the material involved and the degree of pasteurization desired. The vacuum time is usually in the range of 0.004 to 1 second, preferably 0.1 to 0.5 seconds. The absolute vacuum pressure is in the range of 25.86 to 362 mmHg, preferably 46.54 to 98.26 mmHg. When the treatment is by steam, it is desirable to be as close as possible to its saturation temperature, from the viewpoint of thermal efficiency and shortening the treatment time, this temperature is usually in the range of 104.44 to 176.67 °C. The steam time is usually in the range of 0.004 to 1 second, preferably 0.05 to 0.1 seconds. The corresponding steam pressure is in the range of 827.44 to 7240.09 mmHg.

[0003] The method described in document US Pat. No. 6,245,294 B1 requires a second vacuum stage and the pressure and temperature conditions are very high, however, the method was only carried out with water vapor and therefore the pressure, temperature and time conditions for treating materials with hydrogen peroxide vapor are not described or disclosed, only stating that the treatment conditions depend on the material to be treated and the desired level of disinfection.

[0004] The patent document US2021162086A1 also refers to a method for reducing microbiological contamination in a closed chamber formed by at least two interconnected components. In the example of the described method, a small amount (0.01-0.3 mL) of aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is administered onto the head membrane 8, for example by dripping or spraying, which is then securely connected to the neck collar 2 so that the chamber 6 is blocked. Alternatively, the fluid can also be sprayed onto the inner surface of the cap 4. Direct heating of the applied fluid is achieved by microwave radiation. This has the advantage of directly heating the fluid, but the walls of the chamber 6 are only slightly heated and, even if so, the radiation itself only indirectly contributes to the reduction of the bacterial count. At the preferred frequencies of microwave radiation, which are in the frequency range of 500-30 GHz, the fluid is at least partially evaporated and thus evenly distributed within the chamber 6.

[0005] Patent document WO 2006031957(A) describes a system for microbially decontaminating rooms or other defined areas using antimicrobial vapors such as hydrogen peroxide in vapor form or other vapors containing peracetic acid or other peroxide compounds, aldehydes such as formaldehyde, etc. For rooms with a volume of about 1000-4000 m 3Air from a large defined area, such as room 10, is drawn through a decontamination filter 12 and a peroxide destruction catalyst 14 by a blower 16 connected to the filter and destruction device by a duct or line 17. The blower optionally draws the air through a dryer, such as a desiccant wheel 18, which removes water vapor. A second blower 20 blows hot air through a saturated portion of the desiccant wheel, removing absorbed moisture and releasing it into the atmosphere. This process preferably heats the recirculated air from the ambient room temperature, typically about 20-40°C. A series of air quality meters 22 monitor the dried air exiting the blower to determine its ability to absorb hydrogen peroxide vapor. The air is returned to room 10 through a duct or line 23 and another microbe blocking filter 24, such as a HEPA filter. Optionally, the duct system comprises all or part of an existing HVAC system. When first starting the decontamination process, air is circulated through the dryer for a sufficient time to reduce the relative humidity in the room to an acceptable level, preferably less than 20% relative humidity. In the case of sealed cabinets, pressure control within the cabinet may be appropriate. In the case of rooms, pressure control is not required and may be addressed on a case-by-case basis. In clean rooms and the like where it is necessary to prevent potentially contaminated air from entering the room, the pressure in the room is maintained above ambient.

[0006] Finally, patent document CN 103732063(A) relates to C1-C22 peroxycarboxylic acid compositions, such as mixed peroxycarboxylic acid compositions, that have improved antimicrobial efficacy compared to conventional peroxycarboxylic acid compositions, due in part to solubilization of the mixed peroxycarboxylic acid composition using a C2-C6 alcohol. This document also describes methods of using the compositions with enhanced microbial efficacy at reduced temperatures, including, for example, use in aseptic cleaning. In certain embodiments of this invention, the improved antimicrobial peroxycarboxylic acid composition includes a C2-C6 alcohol to solubilize the C1-C22 peroxycarboxylic acid to produce a composition with a lower use concentration.

[0007] The patent documents US Patent Application Publication No. 2021162086(A1), WO 2006031957(A) and China Patent Application Publication No. 103732063(A) refer to the use of hydrogen peroxide, but these are formulations for use in aseptic cleaning of rooms, surfaces and liquids contained in closed containers, and while the use of peroxide for these purposes is well known, its use in reducing microbiological contamination of agricultural and seafood products is not disclosed or anticipated. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Therefore, to help solve the problems currently existing in the prior art, methods for reducing microbiological contamination of agricultural and seafood products have been developed.

[0009] Specific details of the present invention are set forth in the following description, examples and figures, which are provided for purposes of illustration and are in no way limiting. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for reducing microbiological and / or chemical contamination of produce in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Disclosure of the Invention The present invention refers to a method for reducing contamination, preferably reducing microbiological and / or chemical contamination, of fresh and / or dried or dehydrated agricultural and seafood products.

[0012] Microbiological contamination can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc., and chemical contamination can be caused by, among others, pesticides, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, which affect and contaminate agricultural products such as fruits, strawberries, veggies, vegetables, tubers, roots, seeds, grains, meat, and aquatic products such as fish and shellfish.

[0013] Therefore, a first object of the present invention is a method for reducing contamination of agricultural and aquatic products, the method comprising the steps of: i) Determining whether the contamination of agricultural / fishery products is caused by microbiological agents (viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.) and / or chemicals (pesticides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc.) through conventional analytical techniques that detect the presence of such contaminants, and if so, ii) placing the produce / fishery contaminated by the microbiological and / or chemical agent inside a container made of a material resistant to high temperatures, high vacuum and positive pressure and configured to allow circulation of a gaseous fluid to uniformly contact the produce / fishery to be decontaminated; iii) subjecting the produce to evaporation, high vacuum, temperature and time conditions of an aqueous solution containing 300-5000 ppm food grade hydrogen peroxide in a sterilizer to reduce microbiological and / or chemical contamination, depending on the produce and the level of microbiological and / or chemical contamination; iv) Obtaining agricultural / fishery products with a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0-99.9% reduction in chemical contamination; v) Packaging the agricultural / fishery products obtained in the previous step; Includes.

[0014] The agricultural / fish produce that may be decontaminated by the method of the present invention may be fresh and expanded, dehydrated or dried.

[0015] The containers into which the contaminated produce / seafood is placed may be trays, cages, baskets, grid boxes and / or boxes with open tops to allow access by gaseous fluids.

[0016] The sterilization device used in this method may be an autoclave.

[0017] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the high vacuum, temperature and time conditions are -0.00136 to -0.0394 Kg / cm 2 , at a maximum of 90°C, for 1 minute to a maximum of 3 hours.

[0018] Using the methods of the present invention, where the contamination is microbiological and Salmonella species or surrogate organisms are used as a standard, a contamination reduction of up to 5 log reduction of the initial contamination can be achieved.

[0019] Where the contamination is chemical, a contamination reduction of 99.5-99.90% can be achieved using the present invention.

[0020] Thus, the present invention relates to agricultural / fish products decontaminated by the method according to the present invention, said agricultural / fish products obtaining a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0-99.9% reduction in chemical contamination.

Claims

1. 1. A method for reducing contamination of agricultural and aquatic products, comprising: i) determining whether the contamination of the agricultural / fishery produce is caused by a microbiological and / or chemical agent through conventional analytical techniques that detect the presence of the contaminating agent, and if so, ii) placing the produce / fishery contaminated by microbiological and / or chemical agents inside a container made of a material resistant to high temperatures, high vacuum and positive pressure and configured to allow circulation of a gaseous fluid to uniformly contact the produce / fishery to be decontaminated; iii) subjecting the produce to evaporation action of an aqueous solution containing 300-5000 ppm food grade hydrogen peroxide and high vacuum, temperature and time conditions in a sterilization device to reduce microbiological and / or chemical contamination, depending on the produce and the level of microbiological and / or chemical contamination; iv) obtaining agricultural / fishery products with a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0-99.9% reduction in chemical contamination; v) packaging the agricultural / fishery products obtained in the previous step; The method includes:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agricultural / marine products are fresh and expanded, dehydrated or dried.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the container in which the contaminated produce is placed is a tray, crate, basket, grid box and / or box with an open top to allow contact with gaseous fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilization device is an autoclave.

5. The high vacuum, temperature and time conditions are -0.00136 to -0.0394 kg / cm ２ 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating is performed at a temperature of up to 90° C. for 1 minute to up to 3 hours.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the species Salmonella is used as a standard for the determination of the initial microbiological contamination.

7. Agricultural / fish produce decontaminated by the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 comprising a 5 log reduction in microbiological contamination and / or a 95.0 to 99.9% reduction in chemical contamination.

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