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Isolation and characterization culturable microbes on the surface of ‘Granny Smith’ apples treated with electrolyzed water during cold storage

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Abstract

Response of culturable microbes on the surface of apples treated with slightly alkaline electrolyzed water (SAIEW) is largely unexplored. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize culturable microbes on the surface of SAIEW treated ‘Granny Smith’ apples using conventional and molecular approach. Results showed that SAIEW treatments and storage duration influenced culturable microbes isolated from the surface of ‘Granny Smith’ apples stored at 5 °C for 21 days. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC-PCR) analysis distinctively identified 27 groups of bacteria from 56 plate isolates. Using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) typing and RAPD1283 primers, 10 distinct band patterns were identified from 30 fungal isolates. Sequencing of 16S rRNA and intergenic spacer (ITS1 and ITS4) region, identified eight bacteria and four fungi, respectively, to species level. Study showed that SAIEW treatment inhibited growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. capitis, Ochrobactrum soli, and Aspergillus inuii on the surface apples during storage.

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Acknowledgements

The Innovation Fellowship awarded by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

This work is based upon research supported wholly by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant Nos. 137990 and 146360). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) alone and the NRF accepts no liability whatsoever in this regard.

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NEN, JWH, VB, ZAB, ABO, OJC: conceptualized the study. NEN, JWH, VB: collected the data. NEN, ZAB: investigation, writing—first draft of the manuscript. NEN, ZAB, JWH, ABO: methodology, formal analysis. ZAB, ABO, OJC: validation, visualization. VB, JWH resources, software. ZAB, OJC: supervision. JWH, VB, ZAB, ABO, OJC: writing - review and editing of the manuscript. OJC: funding acquisition and project administration.

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Correspondence to Oluwafemi James Caleb.

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Nyamende, N.E., Hoff, J.W., van Brede, V. et al. Isolation and characterization culturable microbes on the surface of ‘Granny Smith’ apples treated with electrolyzed water during cold storage. Food Sci Biotechnol 31, 1603–1614 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-022-01148-2

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