EAEF 3(3) : 87-92, 2010

Research Paper

Development of Washing and Sterilization System for Leafy Vegetables

Seong gi HONG*1, Hoe man PARK*2, Kwang hwan CHO*3, Sukwon KANG*4

Abstract
To ensure food safety of leafy vegetables such as lettuce, Perilla, and flat Chinese cabbage, various microorganisms
and foreign materials commonly found on the leaf surfaces must be removed or inactivated by sterilization before these
the food is consumed, especially when served in large restaurants or school cafeterias. This study was conducted to
develop a washing and sterilization system for leafy vegetables. Results showed that the optimum washing times using air
bubbles for lettuce and Perilla was five minutes and for flat Chinese cabbage was ten minutes. The percentage of bacteria
removed after the optimum washing times were 94, 98, and 76% for lettuce, Perilla, and flat Chinese, respectively. The
system was developed so that leafy vegetables contained in a box were continuously moved to pass through the washing,
sterilization, and dehydration stages.

[Keywords] washing, washing system development, leafy vegetable

Table 1 Physical characteristics of the leafy vegetables.

I Introduction
Cultivar Item Length Width Thickness Weight
Recently, consumption of green leafy vegetables has been
Range 140~165 105~120 0.20~0.25 3.0~5.0
increasing due to greater diversification in dietary preference Red
Mean 153.5 112.9 0.23 4.2
lettuce
and growing demand for healthy foods (Hong, 2007). For SD* ±8.6 ±5.4 ±0.5 ±0.5
leafy vegetables, it is necessary to develop techniques for Range 120~135 110~120 0.21~0.24 1.1~1.3
Perilla Mean 128.8 115.6 0.22 1.2
cultivation as well as for retaining freshness, extending
SD* ±4.3 ±2.9 ±0.4 ±0.1
self-life and ensuring safety. If vegetables are eaten without
m“ˆ›G Range 150~180 67~69 1~2 4~6
first washing out foreign materials present on the leaves such Chinese Mean 167.4 65.4 1.5 5.1
as dust and microorganisms, toxic or poisonous effects are cabbage SD* ±10.7 ±2.7 ±0.6 ±0.7

possible. Moreover, small amounts of hazardous materials *SD : standard deviation

may accumulate in the body over time to cause diseases later
(Kim et al., 1996). Foreign materials on the leaves can be
removed by air (Hussain et al.1984), water, and ultrasonic
methods. However, some foreign materials and microbes stick
very well to leaf surfaces that are wet and rough (Hong et al.,
2005, Hong et al., 2007).
Therefore, a washing, sterilizing, and dehydrating system for
leafy vegetables was developed, and its effect and
performance on leafy vegetables was determined.
II Material and Methods
1. Preparation of samples
Lettuce, Perilla, and flat Chinese cabbage were purchased
from a local market in Suwon, Korea within one day after
harvest. The physical properties of each leafy vegetable are
shown Table 1.
2. Counting of microorganisms
The total bacteria and coliform counts were performed under low
room temperature. For the experiment, 50g each of washed and
unwashed samples were homogenized and pulverized for one minute
at 10,000 rpm. For microbial cultivation, 1 ໶ of diluted sample was
pipetted onto the petrifilm which was then put into an incubator
(BOD incubator) for 24 ~ 48 hours at 32ଇ (Fallik et al., 2003, Kader,
2002). After cultivation the total number of bacteria and coliform
were counted using a commercial colony counter (3 M, England).G G
3. Measurement of foreign materials
To collect foreign materials from the leaf surfaces, 10g each
of washed and unwashed leaf samples were selected, and each
leaf was brushed with distilled water. The distilled water on
the leaf surface was placed into a filter paper to collect the
foreign materials. The filter paper was dried for 24 hours at
100ଇ in a dryer and the remaining foreign materials were
weighed using a precision balance (Sartouriou AG Germany).

This paper was written based on the sufficient original data and is meaningful form a viewpoint of the safety of leafy vegetables. I
judged that this paper must be significant for the readers of our journal *1, KSAM Member, Researcher, *2, KSAM Member,
Researcher, *3, KSAM Member, Senior Researcher, *4, KSAM Member, Researcher, Department of Agricultural Engineering
National Academy of Agricultural Science, 150 suin- ro seodun-dong Suwon, 441-100, Korea; hong33@rda.go.kr.
88 Engineering in Agriculture, Environment and Food Vol. 3, No.3 (2010)

4. Evaluation of washing methods Injector

Electrolyzed Ultrasonic Plate
Tests were conducted to identify the best washing method acid water
outlet
and to develop a washing system that can efficiently handle
large amounts of leafy vegetables. Three types of washing
methods, by spray, flow, and air bubble, were tested (Fig. 1
and Table 2). The spray type has nozzles on both sides of the
semi-cylindrical type water tank in which leafy vegetables G
were hung on the wire at the center. The flow type has holes Electrolyzed acid Ozonized water Ultrasonic wave
water generator generator generator
on a pipe on both sides of the semi-cylindrical type water tank.
Fig. 2 Water sterilization devices used for leafy vegetables
The air bubble type has bubble-generating holes at the bottom
of an acryl bath in which leaves in a washing box are placed.
Table 3 Specifications of the sterilization devices used for
leafy vegetables
G Bath Specification
Nozzle Leaf Electrolyzed Ozonized Ultrasonic
Leaf Acid Water Wave
Item
Generator
Wash Water Generator
box Generator
Dimension 580*480*480 1,300*1,000*600 1,200*800*700
Spray type Flow type Air bubble type (L*W*H mm)
Capacity 100 (L/H) 300 (L/H) 500 L
Fig. 1 Washing devices for leaf vegetables
Density of 1~100ppm 1.5 ppm 26 KHz
produce
Table 2 Specification of the washing devices Power 0.5kw 0.5kw 0.5kw
Specification Remark Non sheet type Injector type with air bubble
Item
Spray Type Flow Type Air Bubble Type
1,200*300
7. Spin-drying performance tests
Dimension(L*W*H) 1,200*300 60 500(D)*600(L) The spin-drying equipment consisted of a spin-drying drum,
Discharge Rate(L/min) 40 0.37 40(air) controller, and a body (Fig 3, Table4). The spin-drying speed
Power (kw) 0.37 m“–žG 0.37 was set between 0 ~ 1,000 rpm for leaf safety. The
Remarks Nozzle Bubble velocity
Œ“–Š› G spin-drying rate was calculated based on leaf weights before
pressure 0.02m/s
WUX”VšG and after washing. Moreover, a damaged leaf rate was
0.01mm
computed from the weight of leaves that were damaged after
spin-dryingUG G G
5. Effects of washing time G
Washing time is an important factor for determining the
efficiency of each washing method. Washing times were Spin-drying
Drum
increased from one minute up to thirty minutes to find optimal
washing times.

Controller
6. Effects of sterilized water
The sterilizing effects of electrolyzed acid water (Edokawa.
1999), ozonized water, and an ultrasonic method were
evaluated. The electrolytic water generator, ozone generator,
and ultrasonic generator are shown in Fig 2, and their G
respective specifications are shown in Table 3. The treatment Fig. 3 Schematic diagram of spin-dryerG
time used for each sterilization method was five minutes (Kim
et al 1996 & Hong 2007) forGlettuce and Perilla leaf, and ten
minutes for flat Chinese cabbage.G G
 HONG, PARK, CHO, KANG : Development of Washing and Sterilization System for Leafy Vegetables 89

Table 4 Specification of the spin-dryer for leafy vegetables. III Results and Discussion
Item Specification 1. Evaluation of washing methods
Dimension (L*W*H, mm) 450×560×700 The results for total residual bacteria for the air bubble,
Drum speed (rpm) 0 ~ 1,000 spray and flow washing methods on the leafy vegetables
Diameter (mm) 450
tested were 74~80, 60~70, and 52~69%, respectively (Table
Capacity (kg) 4
Motor (kw) 0.4 6). The most efficient washing method was the air bubble
type, in which foreign material and microbes between the
8. Development of the washing system leaves were washed away by the air bubbles (Table 7). The
The structure and dimension of the system are shown in spray type did not effectively wash the whole leaf surfaces
Fig 4 and Table 5. Individual washing boxes passed through while the flow type could wash only one side of the leaf
washing, sterilization, and rinsing stages, followed by the surfaces.
spin-drying stage. The washing system used the air-bubble
washing method and electro analyzed water for the Table 6 Total residual bacteria of the leafy vegetables after
sterilization method. different washing methods.
(unit : 104cfu/g, %)
Flat Chinese
Washing method Lettuce Perilla
Cabbage
Unwashed 306(100) 98(100) 25(100)
a* a
Spray type 94(30) 35(36) 10(40)a
b a
Flow type 96(31) 38(39) 12(48)a
b b
Air bubble type 81(26) 23(24) 5(20)b
*LSD 5%, Duncan's multiple range test.

Table 7 Foreign material remaining on leaf surfaces after

washing.
(unit : mg/g, %)
G
Flat Chinese
Fig. 4 Washing system for leafy vegetable. Washing method Lettuce Perilla
Cabbage
Unwashed 3.99(100) 5.8(100) 1.53(100)
Table 5 Specifications of the washing system. Spray type 2.04(51) a* 3.1(53)a 1.21(79)a
Item Specification Flow type 2.57(64) b 3.5(60)a 1.26(82)a
Type Washing, sterilizing, dehydrating Air bubble type 1.94(46) b
1.8(31) b
0.88(58)b
Dimension 4,500(L)×1,200(W)×1,600(H)mm, 400kg
( ) Left rate after treatment
Washing Air bubble, Tap water, 200Ɛ
Sterilizing Electrolyzed water 200Ɛ *LSD 5%, Duncan's multiple range test.
Dehydrating Centrifugal , 400rpm
Input output type Washing box contact with sensor control 2. Evaluation of washing time
Control type PLC control with air The total residual bacteria for the air bubble washing
G method using washing times between 1 and 30 minutes are
shown in Table 8. The optimum washing time for lettuce and
9. Performance of the washing system and statistical
perilla leaf was 3~5 minutes and that for flat Chinese cabbage
analysis
was 5 ~ 10 minutes. It was easy to wash the leaves of lettuce
The performance of the washing system was measured by
and perilla unlike, the leaves of the flat Chinese cabbage.
the number of boxes (vegetable transfer boxes) washed per
After 10 minutes, the washing water was continuously
hour. Handling error was calculated from the number of
recycled during the remainder of the washing process.
washing boxes that were not moved or were jammed during
the washing process. The Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Co.,
USA) program was used for the statistical analysis.
90 Engineering in Agriculture, Environment and Food Vol. 3, No.3 (2010)

Table 8 Total residual bacteria of leafy vegetable per air

bubble washing time.
(unit:104cfu/g, %)
Washing Flat Chinese
Lettuce Perilla
time(min) Cabbage
No washing 350 (100) 230(100) 210(100)
1 min 48 (13.7) a* 28(12.2)a 75(35.7)a
3 min 34 (9.7) ab 16(6.9)bc 45(21.4)b
b c
5 min 32 (9.1) 14(6.1) 27(12.8)cd
10 min 35 (10.0) bc 18(7.8)ab 26(12.3)d
b ab
20 min 40 (12.9) 20(8.7) 32(15.2)cd
30 min 46 (13.1)b 23(10.0)ab 37(17.6)bcd
* LSD 5%, Duncan's multiple range test. (Dark color due to water spot)

Fig. 5. Water spots on the leaves caused by ultrasonic wave

3. Evaluation of water-based sterilization methods
The effects of the three sterilization methods investigated
are shown in Table 9. The removal rates of bacteria for
electrolyzed acid water, ozonized water, and ultrasonic wave
generated water were 69~92, 68~88, and
respectively. The electrolyzed acid water and ozonized water
methods had high removal effects. This was the result of the
hypochlorous acid and ozone generated by those two methods,
respectively, that oxidized the microorganisms on the leaf
surfaces. However, the ultrasonic wave generated water is not
recommended for sterilization because the ultrasonic wave
was absorbed by the soft leaves and thus produced low
sterilizing effect. Additionally, exposing lettuce to ultrasonic
waves for more than five minutes resulted in water spots at
the leaf ends (Fig. 5), which reduced the commercial value of
the lettuce.
4. Evaluation of the spin-dryer and its damage rate
The optimum rotation speed of the spin-dryer was 300 -
400 rpm and the spin-drying rate*1 at this speed range was
39~60%, about 60 - 65% (Fig 6). High rotation speed increased the
damage rate*2U When the spin-dryer speed was more than
500 rpm, the rate of damage increased to more than 5%.
Based on these results, the maximum rotation speed of the
spin-dryer was set at 500 rpm. The spin-drying time
between 20 and 30 seconds produced a little higher
spin-drying rate (Fig 7).G G
*1 Spin-drying rate =
Leaf weight (After washing - After spin - drying)
Leaf weight (After washing - Before washing)
QYDamaged leaf rate =
Total weight of damaged leaf by spin - drying
Total weight of leaf before washing

Table 9. Total residual bacteria (104cfu/g, %) after

sterilization.
Lettuce (̺ Dehydrate rate, ̱ Damage rate)
Sterilization Flat Chinese 100 Perilla 25
Lettuce Perilla
Method Cabbage Flat Chinese cabbage

Unwashed 220(100) 26 (100) 30 (100) 80 20

Dehydrate rate(%)

a* a a
Ultrasonic wave 96(44) 16 (62) 12 (40)
Damage rate(%)

60 15
Ozonized water 70(32) b 3 (12) b 8 (27) b
Electro-analyzed 68(31) b 2 (8) b 7 (23) b 40 10

water
20 5
* LSD 5%, Duncan's multiple range test
0 0
200 300 400 500 600

Rotation speed of drum (rpm)

Fig. 6 Spin-drying and spin-dryer damage rates to leafy

vegetables.
 HONG, PARK, CHO, KANG : Development of Washing and Sterilization System for Leafy Vegetables 91

͢͡͡
͢͡

ͩ͡ Lettuce

Bacteria density (10 ᒝcfu/g)

ͩ
Dehydrate rate (%)

Perilla
ͧ͡ ͧ Flat Chinese cabbage
ͥ
ͥ͡
Lettuce (̺ 20, ̱ 30/s)
Flat Chinese cabbage ͣ
ͣ͡ Perilla
͡

͡ Non Washing Sterilization Rinse bath Dehydrate

ͣ͡͡ ͤ͡͡ ͥ͡͡ ͦ͡͡ ͧ͡͡ washing bath bath
Rotation speed of drum (rpm) Washing step

Fig 7. Spin-drying time of the spin-dryer. Fig 10. Effects of the different washing steps on the removal
of foreign materials.
5. Evaluation of the washing system
The efficiency of the washing system in removing bacteria 6. Working performance of the developed washing
is shown in Fig 8. The removal rate for bacteria ranged system
between 64~94%, and for coliforms was 100% coliform (Fig The operating capacities of the developed system for
9). Most of the bacteria were removed at the sterilization lettuce, Perilla, and Flat Chinese cabbage were 100, 120, and
stage of the system. However, the rinsing stage slightly 80 kg/h, respectively, which were 25, 24, and 27 times better
increased the number of bacteria because of contamination in than the manual washing method (Table 10).
the rinse bath. But, most of the remaining microorganisms on
the leaf surfaces could be removed by the spin-drying Table 10 Working performance of the washing system.
process. Foreign materials on the leaf surfaces were largely Flat Chinese
Item Lettuce Perilla
removed (54~74%) by the washing process (Fig 10). Overall Cabbage
Working
cleanliness of the vegetables was greatly improved by performance 100 120 80
washing. (kg/h)
Manual
4 5 3
ͧ͢͡ (kg/h)
Lettuce Box error*
Bacteria density(10 cfu/g)

Perilla 6 4 4
ͣ͢͡ (%)
4

Flat Chinese cabbage

* Box error: Not moved and no pick up by device
ͩ͡

ͥ͡

͡ IV Summary and Conclusions

ͿΠΟ ΈΒΤΙΚΟΘ ΄ΥΖΣΚΝΚΫΒΥΚΠΟ ΃ΚΟΤΖ͑ΓΒΥΙ ͵ΖΙΪΕΣΒΥΖ
ΨΒΤΙΚΟΘ͑ ΓΒΥΙ ΓΒΥΙ O The air bubble method was the most efficient washing
Washing step method for leafy vegetables such as lettuce, perilla, and flat
Fig 8. Effects of the different washing methods on the Chinese cabbage. The removal rates of the air bubble, spray
removal of bacteria. and flow washing methods were 74~80, 60~70, and 52~69%,
respectively. The optimum washing time for lettuce and
ͥ͢
Perilla was five minutes and that for Chinese cabbage was ten
ͣ͢ Lettuce
minutes.
Perilla
Foreign material(mg/g)

͢͡
ͩ Flat Chinese cabbage
ͧ O The sterilization effects of electrolyzed acid water,
ͥ ozonized water, and ultrasonic wave generated water were 69
ͣ ~ 92, 68~88, and 38~60%, respectively. The ultrasonic wave
͡ was absorbed by soft leaves and produced the lowest
Non Washing Sterilization Rinse bath Dehydrate
washing bath bath sterilizing effect of the three methods.
Washing step

Fig 9. Effect of the different washing steps on removal of O The washing system developed incorporated an air
coliform. bubble washing method, electrolytic-water sterilization
method, cold-water rinsing, and a centrifugal spin-dryer.
92 Engineering in Agriculture, Environment and Food Vol. 3, No.3 (2010)

O The washing system could remove total bacteria and

coliforms by 64~94 and 100%, respectively. The system also
removed 54~74% foreign materials on the leaf surfaces.

O The operating capacities of the developed system for

lettuce, Perilla, and flat Chinese cabbage were 100, 120, and
80 kg/h, respectively, which were 25, 24, and 27 times better
than the manual washing method.

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(Received: 29. August. 2008, Accepted: 12.May. 2010)