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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 150-156, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.150-156.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Combined Subzero Temperature and High Pressure on Inactivation of Escherichia coli

Marwen Moussa, Jean-Marie Perrier-Cornet,* and Patrick Gervais

Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés Alimentaires et Biotechnologiques, ENSBANA, Université de Bourgogne, 1, Esplanade Erasme, 21000 Dijon, France

Received 2 August 2005/ Accepted 26 September 2005

The combined effects of subzero temperature and high pressure on the inactivation of Escherichia coli K12TG1 were investigated. Cells of this bacterial strain were exposed to high pressure (50 to 450 MPa, 10-min holding time) at two temperatures (–20°C without freezing and 25°C) and three water activity levels (aw) (0.850, 0.992, and ca. 1.000) achieved with the addition of glycerol. There was a synergistic interaction between subzero temperature and high pressure in their effects on microbial inactivation. Indeed, to achieve the same inactivation rate, the pressures required at –20°C (in the liquid state) were more than 100 MPa less than those required at 25°C, at pressures in the range of 100 to 300 MPa with an aw of 0.992. However, at pressures greater than 300 MPa, this trend was reversed, and subzero temperature counteracted the inactivation effect of pressure. When the amount of water in the bacterial suspension was increased, the synergistic effect was enhanced. Conversely, when the aw was decreased by the addition of solute to the bacterial suspension, the baroprotective effect of subzero temperature increased sharply. These results support the argument that water compression is involved in the antimicrobial effect of high pressure. From a thermodynamic point of view, the mechanical energy transferred to the cell during the pressure treatment can be characterized by the change in volume of the system. The amount of mechanical energy transferred to the cell system is strongly related to cell compressibility, which depends on the water quantity in the cytoplasm.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés Alimentaires et Biotechnologiques, ENSBANA, Université de Bourgogne, 1, Esplanade Erasme, 21000 Dijon, France. Phone: 33 3 80 39 68 45. Fax: 33 3 80 39 68 98. E-mail: jperrier{at}u-bourgogne.fr

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 150-156, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.150-156.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Moussa, M., Perrier-Cornet, J.-M., Gervais, P. (2007). Damage in Escherichia coli Cells Treated with a Combination of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Subzero Temperature. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 6508-6518 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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