This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chapman, B.
Right arrow Articles by Cole, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chapman, B.
Right arrow Articles by Cole, M.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Chapman, B.
Right arrow Articles by Cole, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2006, p. 5165-5172, Vol. 72, No. 8
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02522-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Salt, Alone or in Combination with Sucrose, Can Improve the Survival of Escherichia coli O157 (SERL 2) in Model Acidic Sauces

B. Chapman,1* N. Jensen,1 T. Ross,2 and M. Cole1,{dagger}

Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, Food Science Australia, P.O. Box 52, North Ryde 1670, New South Wales, Australia,1 University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart 7001, Tasmania, Australia2

Received 26 October 2005/ Accepted 9 May 2006

The commercial production of microbiologically safe and stable sauces containing acetic acid is guided by the Comité des Industries des Mayonnaises et Sauces Condimentaires de la Communauté Économique Européenne's (CIMSCEE) code. The CIMSCEE safety value is calculated using a linear regression equation combining weighted contributions of pH and aqueous-phase concentrations of undissociated acetic acid, NaCl, and sugars. By implication, the CIMSCEE safety equation predicts that increasing concentrations of hurdles will always increase inactivation of the target pathogen. In this study, the time to achieve a 3-log10 reduction of an acid-resistant, acid-adapted, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 isolate was determined experimentally for 81 formulations at various pHs and acetic acid, NaCl, and sucrose concentrations in a broth model. The combinations were intended to simulate the aqueous phase of acidic sauces and dressings. Experimental data were fitted to the log logistic model to estimate the time to 3-log10 reduction (t3D). Comparison of fitted t3D estimates with CIMSCEE values showed agreement in predicting safety (as defined by CIMSCEE) for the majority of formulations. However, CIMSCEE safety predictions were "fail dangerous" for 13 of 81 formulations. Among these formulations and others, the observed E. coli t3D initially increased and then decreased with increasing osmolalities (NaCl and sucrose). Relative protection increased with exposure time where the protective effect of NaCl predominated. While commercial acidic sauces are not considered high-risk vehicles for STEC, interactions among hurdles that decrease their combined effectiveness are deserving of further investigation because they may reveal mechanisms of broader relevance in the inactivation of pathogens in foods.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Food Science Australia, P.O. Box 52, North Ryde 1670, NSW, Australia. Phone: (612) 9490-8470. Fax: (612) 9490-8499. E-mail: belinda.chapman{at}csiro.au.

{dagger} Present address: The National Center for Food Safety & Technology, 6502 S. Archer Rd., Summit-Argo, IL 60501.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2006, p. 5165-5172, Vol. 72, No. 8
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02522-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Chapman, B., Ross, T. (2009). Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica Are Protected against Acetic Acid, but Not Hydrochloric Acid, by Hypertonicity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 3605-3610 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»