Assessment of the impact of hydrogen peroxide solutions on microbial loads and quality factors of red bell peppers, strawberries and watercress

The impact of sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2 at 1 and 5%) solutions on Listeria innocua in red bell peppers, total mesophiles in strawberries and total coliforms in watercress was studied. Quality attributes such as colour, firmness and pH were studied for all products; total anthocyanins content was determined for strawberries. Sensorial analyses were also carried out for all products. Results showed that H 2O 2 (5%) provided the highest reductions of microbial loads. Besides H 2O 2 (1%) had a lower impact, it was more effective than water-washings. Sodium hypochlorite solutions lead to microbial reductions comparable to water risings. In terms of quality, H 2O 2 (5%) was the solution with higher negative impact on products' colour. For strawberries, such colour alterations were also detected by sensorial analyses. The anthocyanins content decreased significantly. Overall it was found that H 2O 2 (1%) was a good sanitizer solution, since microbial reduction was attained while quality factors did not suffer considerable alterations.