Development of antimicrobial hydrogel with edible formulations to control foodborne pathogens on food surfaces consumed raw

This study developed antimicrobial hydrogels to decrease the foodborne pathogen cell counts on raw food surfaces. Hydrogels 1 (5% sodium alginate +1% agar +0.2% calcium chloride (CaCl2) + 40% glycerol) and 4 (1% κ-carrageenan +1% xanthan +40% glycerol), loaded with 0.5% grapefruit-seed extract or 0.5% citrus extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activities (p < 0.05) within 1 min at 4 °C. However, hydrogel 1 was more effective than hydrogel 4 (p < 0.05) at reducing the foodborne pathogen cell counts. Hydrogel 1 reduced the Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli counts (on the surface of raw beef; by 1.8–2.8 log CFU/cm2) and the Vibrio parahaemolyticus counts (on the surface of sliced raw fish; by approximately 99%) within 1 min. No substantial changes were observed in the appearance or sensory qualities of the meat during this application. Therefore, hydrogel 1 demonstrated the potential to improve the safety of raw food without altering its sensory aspects. For raw beef and fish consumption, non-thermal decontamination technologies are necessary. Thus, antimicrobial hydrogels were developed in this study with edible components. When the antimicrobial hydrogels were attached on the meat surface, foodborne pathogens were significantly reduced within 1 min. Therefore, the antimicrobial hydrogels could be used to improve the food safety for fresh meat consumed raw.