Pre-harvest and Post-harvest Decontamination Strategies for Eliminating Foodborne Pathogens on Cantaloupes

Although cantaloupes have been implicated in sporadic outbreaks of foodborne diseases in humans in the past, recently the fruit has been increasingly linked to large, multi-state outbreaks resulting in severe morbidity and mortality. These outbreaks highlight the emerging role of cantaloupes as a vehicle of foodborne pathogens, and justify the need for effective and practical decontamination procedures to prevent human infections. A variety of FDA-approved disinfectants, including quaternary ammonium compounds and hypochlorite have been evaluated for cantaloupe washing treatments, but are found to be ineffective in killing pathogen on cantaloupe surface. ARS is interested in pre-harvest and post-harvest sources of contaminations in fresh produce and intervention strategies to reduce foodborne pathogens at farm-to-fork level. Our goal of this project is to investigate the antimicrobial potential of Octenidine hydrochloride (OH) applied at pre- and post-harvest levels for controlling foodborne pathogens on cantaloupes. The Cooperator has extensive experience in antimicrobials for controlling pathogens in foods.