Decontamination of fruits and vegetables

Ultrasound (US) disrupts biological structures and may lead to death when applied with sufficient intensity (Betts and Everis, 2005). The use of ultrasound to disinfect fruit and vegetables has not been described frequently in the literature. The results from a study by Seymour et al. (2002) indicated that a combination of ultrasound and chlorinated water reduced the numbers of both Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli from iceberg lettuce. However, the authors concluded that the cost of such a method is high and that the combination does not completely remove pathogens from fresh produce. Therefore, this is probably not a well-suited alternative method for the decontamination of fruit and vegetables. 

Beuchat, L.R. (1998) Surface Decontamination of Fruits and Vegetables Eaten Raw A review. WHO, Food Safety Unit. WHO/FSF/FaS/98-2. www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/fs management/surfac decon/en/... 

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