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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 December; 24(6): 891-898
Copyright © 1973 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of pH and Oxygen Tension on Staphylococcal Growth and Enterotoxin Formation in Fermented Sausage

Department of Bacteriology and The Food Research Institute, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

ABSTRACT

Commercial fermented 0sausages that contained significant numbers of viable coagulase-positive staphylococci were found to have the growth localized in the outermost areas of the sausage where oxygen tension was highest. Staphylococci were found to be more acid-tolerant aerobically than anaerobically. With chemical acidulation of sausage, growth could be controlled both aerobically and anaerobically with approximately 1.5% glucono delta lactone. Biological acidulation with a high inoculum of Pediococcus cerevisiae inhibited anaerobic staphylococcal growth but failed to suppress aerobic growth completely. A staphylococcal count of approximately 4 x 10⁷ cells/g of sausage appeared to be necessary to produce detectable enterotoxin A within 24 hr in sausage. A minor difference existed in the relative rates of production of the different types of enterotoxin. Detectable enterotoxin A was produced in 24 hr in sausage held in atmospheres containing 10, 15, and 20% oxygen. In an atmosphere containing 5% oxygen, toxin was detected after 48 hr of incubation. No toxin was detected after 120 hr under anaerobic conditions. Most staphylococcal strains tested initiated growth and produced detectable enterotoxin aerobically at a pH of 5.1 in broth media. Anaerobically, however, most strains failed to produce detectable enterotoxin below pH 5.7.