| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to determine antifouling capabilities of silane-treated woods used in fresh edible produce harvest. Pine and oak square coupons (4 cm2 inoculatable surfaces) were treated with 1% (w/w) (heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyl) trichlorosilane or left untreated (control). Treated and control coupons were then placed in a multi-well plate in order to measure Salmonella enterica or Listeria monocytogenes attachment to wood surfaces after 1, 4, and 8 h post-pathogen application. Silane treatment of both wood types produced significant reductions (P<0.01) in pathogen attachment for both pathogens. After 1 h, silane treatment produced a mean Salmonella attachment reduction of 64.6% (99% CI: ± 13.7%). L. monocytogenes attachment reduction was similar with 67.4% (99% CI: ± 7.86%) reduction. Untreated wood resulted in <1% reduction of both bacterial species' attachment to wood surfaces. These data suggest silane treatment of wood surfaces prevents pathogenic bacterial attachment to hardwoods used in fruit and vegetable harvest. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/198743 |
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