Safer Alfalfa Seeds

Fresh alfalfa sprouts can be the ultimate topping to a superb fresh salad. Unfortunately, for more than a decade, they have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks. Cases have been tracked back to Salmonella on alfalfa seeds. CAES scientists in the Center for Food Safety in Griffin tested seed treatments for eliminating or reducing levels of E. coli and Salmonella on sprout seeds. Both treatments of 20,000 ppm calcium hypochlorite and 0.5% levulinic acid plus 0.05% SDS on inoculated alfalfa seeds for 5 min reduced Salmonella to levels only detectable by selective enrichment culture. All samples of calcium hypochlorite and levulinic acid solutions used for treatment were negative for E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella by enrichment culture after use. Germination results revealed that treatment with 0.5 percent levulinic acid plus 0.05 percent SDS for 1 hour at 21°C (80 percent germination rate) did not adversely affect alfalfa seed germination compared to the control treatment with tap water, whereas treatment with 20,000 ppm calcium hypochlorite for 1 hour substantially reduced germination percentage.