The Effect of Spray Parameters on the Survival of Bacteriophages

There have been numerous studies highlighting the efficacy of various bacteriophages (phages) and phage cocktails in the reduction of pathogens in food. Despite approval from legislative bodies permitting phage use in food processing environments, applied via spray or dip, there is still no information on which spray parameters should be used for successful implementation. The study here investigates phage survival diluted to 1% in distilled water (dH(2)O) and prepared bottled water (PBW), followed by a subsequent spray application through a fixed nozzle (530 mu m) and strainer size (74 x 74 mu m), with pressures of 3, 5, and 6 Bar. The survival of the phage was determined through sampling the outputs of the spray system and performing double agar overlay plaque assays. PBW decreased the phage concentration (p = 0.18) more than the dH(2)O (p = 0.73) prior to spray application. It was found that the PBW phage solution was less affected by the various spray parameters (p = 0.045) than the dH(2)O (p = 0.011). The study showed that unchlorinated water (dH(2)O), as well as a pressure of 3 Bar, had the highest output phage concentration through the nozzle and strainer, providing valuable information for industrial implementation.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of different spray parameters on phage survival. The results showed that bottled water reduced phage concentration more than distilled water. Additionally, unchlorinated water and a pressure of 3 Bar yielded the highest output phage concentration.