spraying, a log reduction of 1.3 was observed when cantaloupes
were treated with M 4% + L 2%. E. coli also
decreased by 4.6 logs after 12 days of storage at 4C when
treated with organic acid combination. M (4%) and M
4% + L 2% were insignificantly different statistically
(P > 0.05) when compared to each other. The prediction
profiler (Fig. 6) showed that after 2.0% lactic acid was not
as effective over the 12-day storage period. Malic acid continued
to reduce E. coli as the concentration was increase to
4.0% and as the storage period progressed.
Efficacies of M 4% alone and combined with L 2%
were either superior or comparable to other sanitizers
used on whole melons. Studies have concentrated on
applying antimicrobials on the whole cantaloupe to determine
the efficacy of pathogen reduction. Mahmoud et al.
(2008) demonstrated significant log reduction of E. coli