Effectiveness of acetic and citric acid against Staphylococcus aureus contamination in parsley and dill.

Staphylococcal food intoxication from Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) species is an important food-borne disease that threatens public health in many countries. Products prepared with fresh vegetables that have not been heat treated and/or not sufficiently disinfected are particularly risky. In this study, the effects of various organic acid (acetic and citric acid) concentrations on S. aureus previously inoculated into parsley and dill vegetables were investigated at storage time of 0, 1., 3., 5, and 7 days. For this purpose, a total of 7 groups were formed: individually with 0.5% and 1.5% acetic and citric acid, as well as their combinations and control. The number of S. aureus was adjusted to 102 and 106 (log CFU/mL) numbers that known to produce toxins by spectrophotometric method. As a result of the study, acetic and citric acid were found to be more effective when combined in S. aureus inhibition. It was observed that this effect varies depending on the microbiological load, acid concentration and storage days of the vegetables. It was also determined that the organic acids used had a better effect on the parsley than the dill vegetable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]