Thermal inactivation of human norovirus surrogates in spinach and measurement of its uncertainty.

Leafy greens, including spinach, have potential for human norovirus transmission through improper handling and/or contact with contaminated water. Inactivation of norovirus prior to consumption is essential to protect public health. Because of the inability to propagate human noroviruses in vitro, murine norovirus (MNV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV-F9) have been used as surrogates to model human norovirus behavior under laboratory conditions. The objectives of this study were to determine thermal inactivation kinetics of MNV-1 and FCV-F9 in spinach, compare first-order and Weibull models, and measure the uncertainty associated with the process. D-values were determined for viruses at 50, 56, 60, 65, and 72 °C in 2-ml vials. The D-values calculated from the first-order model (50 to 72 °C) ranged from 0.16 to 14.57 min for MNV-1 and 0.15 to 17.39 min for FCV-9. Using the Weibull model, the tD for MNV-1 and FCV-F9 to destroy 1 log (D ≈ 1) at the same temperatures ranged from 0.22 to 15.26 and 0.27 to 20.71 min, respectively. The z-values determined for MNV-1 were 11.66 ± 0.42 °C using the Weibull model and 10.98 ± 0.58 °C for the first-order model and for FCV-F9 were 10.85 ± 0.67 °C and 9.89 ± 0.79 °C, respectively. There was no difference in D- or z-value using the two models (P > 0.05). Relative uncertainty for dilution factor, personal counting, and test volume were 0.005, 0.0004, and ca. 0.84%, respectively. The major contribution to total uncertainty was from the model selected. Total uncertainties for FCV-F9 for the Weibull and first-order models were 3.53 to 7.56% and 11.99 to 21.01%, respectively, and for MNV-1, 3.10 to 7.01% and 13.14 to 16.94%, respectively. Novel and precise information on thermal inactivation of human norovirus surrogates in spinach was generated, enabling more reliable thermal process calculations to control noroviruses. The results of this study may be useful to the frozen food industry in designing blanching processes for spinach to inactivate or control noroviruses.