The effectiveness of radiation treatment in eliminating Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes on laboratory inoculated ready-to-eat sprouts was studied in the August issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

Dry seeds of mung, matki, chana, and vatana were used in the testing. Radiation treatment with a 2-kGy dose resulted in complete elimination of 104 CFU/g of Salmonella Typhimurium and 103 CFU/g of L. monocytogenes from all the four varieties of sprouts. No recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes was observed in the radiation treated samples stored at 4 and 8 C up to 12 days.

This study demonstrates that a 2-kGy dose of irradiation could be an effective method of processing to ensure microbial safety of sprouts.