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Abstract

Consumption of alfalfa sprouts has increased worldwide due to the nutritional value and health benefits of sprouts. However, alfalfa sprouts contaminated with Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) have been the source of many foodborne outbreaks in Europe and North America. Antimicrobial treatments for sprouted seeds are recommended by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency but the influence of different antimicrobial sanitation seed treatments on the behaviour of S. enterica during seed germination remains unclear. The goals of this study were (1) to investigate the ability of S. enterica to grow on sprouting alfalfa seeds after three different sanitation seed treatments to reduce microbial load, and (2) to understand how colonization by S. enterica and different antimicrobial treatments affect metabolites released by sprouting alfalfa seed. Alfalfa seeds inoculated with five strains of S. enterica were subject to three different seed treatments: (1) sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), (2) hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and (3) an organic treatment involving a hot water dip, treatment with H₂O₂ and acetic acid. The disinfected seeds were sprouted to identify the growth characteristics of S. enterica after sanitation stress (n = 3). The populations of all five S. enterica strains which were present at