Use of hydrogen peroxide, citric acid and sodium hypochlorite as sanitizer for minimally processed table grapes

The objective of this study was to explore two local table grape cultivars, one is white and the other one red colored, as a minimally processed produce, and to identify the most effective sanitizers (hydrogen peroxide, citric acid or sodium hypochlorite) to control microbial growth. The table grape cultivars indigenous to Elazig province of Turkey ‘Agin Beyazi’ and ‘Agin Kirmizisi’ were tested in the present experiment. Grape clusters were washed by dipping in tap water as control, in citric acid (20 g/L), with sodium hypochlorite (50 mg/L), or with hydrogen peroxide (20 g/L), solutions for 1 minute. Grape berries were then placed into PET clamshells and kept at 4 °C for 10 days. The berries were subject to quality assessments during the storage, and to total aerobic microbial and fungal count at the end. Washing with hydrogen peroxide- or sodium hypochlorite-diluted water was very effective controlling both aerobic microbial and fungal growth. Citric acid treatment however represented no significant effect on microbial growth. It is concluded that both hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite are strong sanitizers for table grapes tested, with no detection of undesirable effects.