Czech J. Food Sci., 2018, 36(2):139-145 | DOI: 10.17221/267/2017-CJFS

Reduced microbiological contamination following irrigation of germinated seed for foodsFood Technology and Economy, Engineering and Physical Properties

Honorata DANILČENKO¹, Elvyra JARIENɹ, Dalé TELEVIČIUTɹ, Skaidré SUPRONIENɲ, Jurgita KULAITIENɹ, Živilé TARASEVIČIENɹ, Alvyra ŠLEPETIENɲ, Judita ČERNIAUSKIENÉ^*,1

¹ Agriculture and Food Sciences Institute, Agronomy faculty, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania,

² Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Kdainiai distr., Lithuania

Germinated seeds are rich in various nutrients but are vulnerable to fungal contamination which favours micromycete formation on the sprouts. The main aim of this work was an investigation of strategies to reduce the contamination of sprouted seed foods. Over the course of 96 hours of sprouting, seeds of organic spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), naked oat (Avena nuda L.), triticale (xTriticosecale) and rye (Secale cereale L.) were irrigated in water filtered using the Pazdroid Med-1500 filtration device with and without 4% ethyl alcohol. Germinated seeds were stored at 18°C for one, three and seven days and the levels of Mucor spp., Penicillium spp., Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. and Bipolaris spp were determined. Micromycete numbers were greater in sprouted winter wheat and rye but were reduced when these were soaked and irrigated with filtered water and filtered water containing 4% ethyl alcohol. Filtered water led to greater reductions in micromycete numbers in sprouted winter and spring wheat than in other seeds.

Keywords: cereals; filtered water; pathogens; sprouted seeds

Published: April 30, 2018  Show citation