title: Model comparison for Escherichia coli growth in pouched food.
abstract: We recently studied the growth characteristics of Escherichia coli cells in pouched mashed potatoes (Fujikawa et al., J. Food Hyg. Soc. Japan, 47, 95-98 (2006)). Using those experimental data, in the present study, we compared a logistic model newly developed by us with the modified Gompertz and the Baranyi models, which are used as growth models worldwide. Bacterial growth curves at constant temperatures in the range of 12 to 34 degrees C were successfully described with the new logistic model, as well as with the other models. The Baranyi gave the least error in cell number and our model gave the least error in the rate constant and the lag period. For dynamic temperature, our model successfully predicted the bacterial growth, whereas the Baranyi model considerably overestimated it. Also, there was a discrepancy between the growth curves described with the differential equations of the Baranyi model and those obtained with DMfit, a software program for Baranyi model fitting. These results indicate that the new logistic model can be used to predict bacterial growth in pouched food.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health: 3-24-1, Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morozumi
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation; D016015:Logistic Models; D011198:Solanum tuberosum