Proper Sanitation of Vegetables

Ever since I was exposed to the idea of “Sanitized vs. Clean,” I have wondered the validity of merely rinsing or scrubbing off vegetable matter before preparation. We have been drilled that we always must wash our hands with soap and warm water to kill pathogens that we may have picked up throughout the day. So, on a consumer basis, what is the best way to reduce pathogens that may be on the surface and in the crevices? This entry will expose you to a lot of options to protect yourselves against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, or Listeria monocytogenes.

It turns out that there are a wide variety of products and solutions that quickly and easily solved this problem. Upon looking further, there are some vegetable washes that are sold in supermarkets; however, the USDA and the FDA  doesn’t recommend their use . If these departments don’t recommend these washes that are sold in stores, then what are we supposed to sanitize our vegetables with?

One solution is surprisingly simple and cheap to execute. Combine white vinegar and water with a ratio of 1:3. Studies in Michigan State University recorded that while rinsing and scrubbing with a brush removed approximately 85% of pathogens while using the vinegar mixture removed 98%. There is also an even easier application process; simply put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray on your desired product. Rinsing the solution off afterwards removes dirt and all the pathogens that the vinegar destroyed. There has also been some further development on this natural method; by combining this mixture with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (applied with a second bottle) it drastically increases the sanitation properties of the solution. 

There are several other “home-made” sanitizers that are food safe. Several vegetarian sites posts these chemical concoctions, and the running trend seems to be combining a bunch of naturally strong acids and antiseptics (such as vinegar and citrus juices and zest) and then either spraying it on the vegetables or soaking them in the solution. Oklahoma State University  published some research “Guidelines for the Use of Chlorine Bleach as a Sanitizer in Food Processing Operations”  In the findings, they explain that 1 Tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water does the trick for most jobs. It doesn’t, however, state the percentage of sanitation that it achieves. 

In contrast, there are several products on the market that do not use natural means for achieving this goal. Most of these products (Okamisu, Lotus Sanitizer, and San Jamar) are coming from Asia and Europe. However, most of these products do not use chemicals, but rather Ozone. Ozone is the combination of three oxygen atoms (instead of the regular two that we find naturally). By creating this molecule, it eliminates 99.97% of pathogens, including E. coli on contact. Again, for these products, the same application applies.

So overall it’s easy to see that by simply rinsing off your vegetables, you hardly accomplish the task at hand. The vegetables need to be sanitized, just like your hands and equipment must be sanitized before cutting into things to avoid cross contamination; and by simply adding vinegar to water, this can be done guaranteeing  that your vegetables will be 98% cleaner then when your received them. 

If you have any other tips or alternative methods, please comment below and inform us all! On Twitter? @josiah_andrews or simply #altfoodtlk to get connected to the community.