title: The impact of oxygen availability on stress survival and radical formation of Bacillus cereus.
abstract: Both the growth and stress survival of two model Bacillus cereus strains, ATCC 14579 and ATCC 10987, were tested in three different conditions varying in oxygen availability, i.e., aerobic, microaerobic and anaerobic conditions. Both B. cereus strains displayed highest growth rates and yields under aerobic conditions, whereas the microaerobic and anaerobic cultures showed similar reduced growth performances. The cells grown and exposed microaerobically and anaerobically were more resistant to heat and acid than cells that were cultured and exposed aerobically. On the other hand, the anaerobically grown cells were more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide compared to the (micro)aerobically grown cells. The increased heat- and acid-induced inactivation in aerobic conditions appeared to be associated with intracellular accumulation of excess hydroxyl and/or peroxynitrite radicals, as determined by flow cytometry in combination with the fluorescent reporter dye 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein. This suggests that radical formation may contribute to inactivation of bacteria in the presence of oxygen, such as in aerobic and microaerobic conditions. No evidence was found for radical formation upon exposure to salt and hydrogen peroxide. The increased resistance to heat and acid in microaerobic and anaerobic conditions shows that oxygen availability should be taken into account when behavior of bacteria, such as B. cereus, in food industry related conditions is investigated, because oxygen availability may affect the efficiency of food preservation conditions.
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. maarten.mols@wur.nl
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mols
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pier
authors.forename: Marcel H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zwietering
authors.forename: Tjakko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abee
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D050296:Microbial Viability; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D005609:Free Radicals; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010100:Oxygen