2.8. Statistical analysis
All experiments were carried out in triplicates. During each experiment
four samples were taken from each vegetable at any time to
conduct microbial counts and color readings. The microbiological
data were analyzed in terms of log (N/N
), where N is the microorganism
load at a given time, and N
0
0
corresponds to the initial microbial
load of untreated samples. Data on quality attributes (color) was
normalized in relation to values obtained for untreated samples.
The data for inactivation of E. coli, S. aureus, S. Enteritidis, L. innocua and
by UV-C and US were analyzed for statistical significance using SPSS 20.0
(SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). Results were compared by an analysis of variance
followed by Tukey's method with a significance level of p b 0.05.