Synergistic effects of NaOCl and ultrasound combination on the reduction of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus in raw laver.

The current study investigated the synergistic effects of NaOCl (50-200 ppm)/ultrasound (37 kHz, 380 W for 5-100 min) combination on the reduction of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus in raw laver. The synergistic reductions were not dependent on concentrations of NaOCl and times of ultrasound. Synergistic reduction ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)/g and 0.1-1.1 log10 CFU/g, respectively, for E. coli and B. cereus, with the largest synergistic reduction in the combination of 200 ppm NaOCl and 60-min ultrasound. Moreover, significant differences of "L" (lightness), "a" (redness), and "b" (yellowness) were not observed in combined with 50-200 ppm NaOCl and 100-min ultrasound compared to those in raw laver treated by only 100-min ultrasound. The results in the current study indicate that the combined treatment of 200 ppm NaOCl and 60-min ultrasound could be regarded a potential optimum hurdle approach in the seaweed production, processing, and distribution process to enhance seaweed safety.