Determination of 5-log reduction times for food pathogens in acidified cucumbers during storage at 10 and 25 degrees C.
Outbreaks of acid-resistant foodborne pathogens in acid foods with pH values below 4.0, including apple cider and orange juice, have raised concerns about the safety of acidified vegetable products. For acidified vegetable products with pH values between 3.3 and 4.6, previous research has demonstrated that thermal treatments are needed to achieve a 5-log reduction in the numbers of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, or Salmonella enterica. For some acidified vegetable products with a pH of 3.3 or below, heat processing can result in unacceptable product quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the holding times needed to achieve a 5-log reduction in E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and S. enterica strains in acidified vegetable products with acetic acid as the primary acidulant, a pH of 3.3 or below, and a minimum equilibrated temperature of 10 degrees C. We found E. coli O157:H7 to be the most acid-resistant microorganism for the conditions tested, with a predicted time to achieve a 5-log reduction in cell numbers at 10 degrees C of 5.7 days, compared with 2.1 days (51 h) for Salmonella or 0.5 days (11.2 h) for Listeria. At 25 degrees C, the E. coli O157:H7 population achieved a 5-log reduction in 1.4 days (34.3 h).
Breidt
Fred
F
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7624, USA. breidt@ncsu.edu
Hayes
Janet
J
McFeeters
Roger F
RF
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001628:Beverages / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D018553:Cucumis sativus / Q000382:microbiology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors