Reduction of Salmonella enterica on grape tomatoes using microwave heating

Grape tomatoes were surface inoculated with Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium, Senftenburg, Kentucky and Enteritidis and heated for 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 s using a household microwave oven at two different power levels (medium and high). Following heating, viable counts, temperature measurements and quality measurements were performed on the tomatoes. At high power level, more than 2 log reduction of Salmonella enterica was detected on grape tomatoes after 50 s but the texture were damaged. Three heating treatments, 40 s heating at high power level, 40 and 50 s heating at medium power level, could achieve more than 1.45 log reduction of Salmonella enterica on grape tomatoes, and all the treatments except for 50 s at high power level did not affect the color, pH value and nutritional quality of grape tomato after heating (p > 0.05). However, 40 s heating at medium power was the only treatment among the three that did not affect the texture quality of grape tomato. Therefore, it might be a potential way for consumers to use microwave heating at medium power level (700 W) for 40 s to reduce Salmonella population on water immersed grape tomatoes.