Currently, Listeria monocytogenes is one of the biggest food safety hazards (even surpassing Salmonella) according to the International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) -managed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO).  

Listeria it is considered a pathogenic bacterium of great concern for global public health. In the US, estimates of overall costs for infections with Listeria could exceed USD $1.000 billion annually. According to the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this country, listeriosis was added to the list of notifiable diseases in 2001. . 

In the last ten years, Listeria monocytogenes has emerged as a pathogen de great importance in Chile, according to a study published in Food Microbiology in 2020 ⁽¹⁾ and listeriosis is a notifiable disease since 2005. 

In the global food industry, it has been necessary innovate and carry out strategic actions to meet the challenges in food safety in the face of the danger of bacterial contamination of food with Listeria.  For the control of Listeria monocytogeneIt is necessary that, throughout the food chain, prevent the multiplication of this bacterium in the final product. Such control requires a comprehensive approach, given its ability to inhabit everywhere (water, land, and air), its high resistance to common preservation methods, and its ability to survive and grow at refrigeration temperatures..

L. monocytogenes is a microbiological hazard that an establishment that manufactures ready-to-eat (RTE) products must control through its food safety plan or prevent in the processing environment through accurate Sanitation Operating Procedures. RTE food is considered adulterated if it contains L. monocytogenes or if it comes into direct contact with a food contact surface that is contaminated with the bacteria.
There is abundant scientific evidence that Listeria, in addition to forming multispecies biofilms, have bacterial communication mechanisms in order to exert joint actions that favor their survival and development in food plants. For example, interspecies interactions between bacteria such as L. monocytogenes and other bacteria, such as Pseudomonas spp. it increases the ability of these pathogens to survive, colonize and establish themselves in the food processing environment. Reducing the risk of the presence of L. monocytogenes in food (and its process environments) is considered a great strategic challenge for the food industry, which must develop safety plans with varied and robust tools to reduce risk.

Oxyion, a company with more than 25 years of experience in environmental purification and sanitization for the food industry, has a unique technology, based on the generation of gaseous plasma of hydrogen peroxide and energized oxygen molecules, which are produced by a modulated dielectric barrier discharge device (MDBD), capable of eliminating viruses, fungi and bacteria, allowing effective microbiological control. Excellent results have been obtained in the elimination of Listeria in potential contamination areas where cleaning or daily cleaning does not cover (eg evaporators). ^(3,5), as well as its control on the surfaces of various foods ^{(2, 4, 7)}.

Oxyion Technology, in general, is coupled to cold food processes, is non-invasive and easy to install/operate, allowing it to be key in the control strategy that food plants must incorporate. The new application of Oxyion Technology in the insufflation of pallets stands out, also supporting the control of possible pathogens present in the product or in the packaging. ^(6,8).

In this way, Oxyion's technology provides key support for hygiene policies, safety and quality plans; without the use of chemicals and without leaving residues. Oxyion Technology also makes it possible to increase environmental biosecurity in the facilities, taking care of the people who work in these facilities. Currently, the company has a presence in more than 10 countries; subsidiaries in the USA, Spain, Peru and Chile and nearly 5.000 facilities in operation.

1. TEN YEARS OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY SURVEILLANCE OF Listeria monocytogenes IN CHILE 2008-2017. Food Microbiology 85 (2020) 103280.
   OXYION TECHNOLOGY: CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT BY ELIMINATION OF Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes AND Salmonella enteritidis IN SPINACH LEAVES. FSPT Food & Safety Process Technology. United States, 2011.
2. DESTRUCTION OF Escherichia coli, Listeria AND Salmonella IN REFRIGERATION COILS, CARDBOARD, WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL AND PLASTIC. FSPT Food & Safety Process Technology. United States, 2007.
3. RESPONSE MODEL FOR THE INACTIVATION OF Listeria monocytogenes IN YELLOW PEPPER (Capsicum Annum) WITH OXYION. FSPT Food & Safety Process Technology. United States, 2006
4. RESPONSE SURFACE MODELING FOR THE INACTIVATION OF Listeria monocytogenes ON STAINLESS STEEL SURFACES BY OXYION TREATMENT. FSPT Food & Safety Process Technology. United States, 2006.
5. EFFECT OF THE OXYION TECHNOLOGY ON Listeria monocytogenes INOCULATED IN BLUEBERRIES PACKAGED IN MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE BAGS (MAP). University of Chile. Chile, 2020
6. EVALUATION OF OXYION EQUIPMENT FOR CONTROL OF Listeria monocyotogenes IN PEACHES AND KIWIS. TAAG Genetics. Chili. Chile, 2015.
7. EFFECT OF OXYION TECHNOLOGY ON Listeria monocytogenes INOCULATED IN KIWIS PACKAGED IN MAP BAGS. University of Chile. Chile, 2019.

Rene Barril Gandolfo

Oxyion Technical Manager 

rene.barril@oxyion.com 

info@oxyion.com

www.oxyion.com

Instagram: Oxyion

EDITOR'S NOTE: To date, there is no record of listeria cases whose origin has been attributed to marketing in the blueberry industry.