This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Piette, J P Articles by Idziak, E S Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Piette, J P Articles by Idziak, E S Agricola Articles by Piette, J P Articles by Idziak, E S

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 June; 55(6): 1531-1536

New method to study bacterial adhesion to meat.

Department of Microbiology, Macdonald College of McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Canada.

ABSTRACT

A new method was developed for the study of bacterial adhesion to meat surfaces. Thin slices of meat (40 microns thick) were inserted into a specially designed observation chamber. The meat slices were then exposed to a bacterial suspension (ca. 10(6) CFU.ml-1) to initiate adhesion (20 min of contact time) and subsequently rinsed to eliminate nonadherent bacteria. Because of the special chamber design, the disruptive force exerted on the bacteria during rinsing (shear stress) was uniform over the whole surface of the meat slices, was constant, and could be varied from 0 to 0.08 N.m-2. After being rinsed, the meat slices were stained with basic fuschin and observed under light microscopy to determine the number and distribution of adherent bacteria. This new method was used to study the adhesion of Acinetobacter strain LD2, a Lactobacillus sp., and Pseudomonas fluorescens to slices of beef fat and tendon. At 25 degrees C, most (greater than or equal to 99.9%) of the cells of the Lactobacillus sp. deposited on the meat were washed off the surface during rinsing (0.05 N.m-2), whereas a large number (ca. 10(5) CFU.cm-2) of Acinetobacter strain LD2 and P. fluorescens cells remained adherent. The extent of adhesion was similar on fat and tendon, and adherent bacteria were distributed evenly over the whole surface of the slices. This preliminary study indicates that the combined use of thin slices of meat and of the observation chamber provides us with the means to more accurately study bacterial adhesion to meat surfaces.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Hannah, J. F., Fletcher, D. L., Cox, N. A., Smith, D. P., Cason, J. A., Northcutt, J. K., Richardson, L. J., Buhr, R. J. (2008). Effect of Sand and Shaking Duration on the Recovery of Aerobic Bacteria, Coliforms, and Escherichia coli from Prechill Broiler Whole Carcass Rinsates. J. Appl. Poult. Res. 17: 272-277 [Abstract] [Full Text]