The use of bacteriophage cocktails to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis in hummus

Salmonellosis is among the most common foodborne diseases. Despite the precautions taken at every stage of the production, several Salmonella outbreaks were associated with hummus which has started to become a popular food across the world. Phages are used for the biocontrol of food pathogens and have several benefits including being effective, specific and safe. In this study, the efficacy of two phages with three multiplicity of infection (10, 100, 1000) on the reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis in hummus during the storage at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C was evaluated. The characterization of phages was performed by examining their host range, revealing their morphological features by using TEM, and determining replication parameters by using one-step growth and adsorption curves. After these procedures, they were applied to the hummus experimentally contaminated with S. Enteritidis. As a result, it was found that phages decreased Salmonella count by 2.30 and 3.23 log units at the end of 7-day storage at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C, respectively. Additionally, phages did not significantly affect the texture and color of hummus. This paper has shown that phages could be used to reduce Salmonella counts in hummus without affecting the features that may influence its acceptability by the consumer.