Could Decontamination with Salad Dressing effect on S. aureus Load?

Aim: This study was planned to determine the effects of mint and parsley extracts, vinegar, and chlorine on S. aureus load in lettuce leaves. It was also planned and carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of a salad dressing with appropriate organoleptic properties, developed by the researcher based on mint and parsley extracts.
Material and Method: The study was carried out on lettuce samples, which is a difficult vegetable to clean. S. aureus was inoculated on the lettuce before disinfection. 200 ppm/L of chlorine, vinegar, mint, and parsley extracts as 50 mL/L from each were used as treatments for 5 and 10 minutes. 50 mL/L of salad dressing, prepared using mint and parsley extracts, was used and the lettuce specimens were either dipped in and out of the salad dressing or kept in for 5 minutes. p<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.
Results: According to the study results, the reduction levels in the S. aureus load caused by the disinfectants were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). In comparison to the control group, the reductions in the S. aureus load by all applications were significant, and the best reduction was seen in 15 minutes of chlorine and vinegar applications (p=0.01). When the prepared salad dressing was analyzed, it was found that the reduction of S. aureus load by the salad dressing was statistically significant (p<0.00). The overall score of the salad dressing in terms of organoleptic properties was 3.9±0.96 out of 5 points.
Conclusion: The results of the study prove the disinfecting effect of natural extracts. It has also been shown that their use as salad dressing can effectively reduce microbial contamination during serving.