In the same
way, the effect of the level of pressure was more important at low
hypochlorite concentrations. Reductions of total aerobic mesophillic
microorganisms, total and faecal coliforms counts ranged between
3 and 6 log units were shown by mung bean sprouts
developed from seeds soaked in 18000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite
and treated at pressures between 100 and 300 MPa (Fig. 2a–
c), compared to reductions of about 2 log units on sprouts from
seeds treated only by the chemical (results not shown). A previous
work carried out in our laboratory demonstrated reductions of
these microbial groups ranged between 1.2 and 3.4 log units in
sprouts from seeds treated at 32.5 C and 100–300 MPa (Peñas
et al., 2008).