title: Effect of Fill Temperature on Clostridium botulinum Type A Toxin Activity during the Hot Filling of Juice Bottles.
abstract: The potential threat of terrorist attacks against the United States food supply using neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum (BoNT) has resulted in the need for studying the effect of various food process operations on the bioavailability of this toxin. The objective of this study was to evaluate C. botulinum type A neurotoxin bioavailability after a simulated hot fill juice bottling operation. C. botulinum type A acid mud toxin (∼10(6) mouse lethal dose [MLD50]/ml) was deposited into juice bottles at an experimentally determined fastest cooling spot. Bottles (12 or 20 oz [355 and 592 ml]) were filled with either apple juice or an orange drink, at 80 or 85°C, in either upright or inverted orientations. Toxicity of the juice was evaluated as a function of holding time (1 to 2 min) by the mouse bioassay. The fastest cooling point in the upright orientation was determined to be at a bottle's bottom rim. In the inverted orientation, the fastest cooling point was in the bottle cap region. With respect to these two points, the upright bottle cooled faster than the inverted bottle, which was reflected in a higher inactivation of BoNT in the latter. For the orange drink (pH 2.9) toxicity was reduced by 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml to a nondetectable level after 1 min in all bottle sizes, orientations, and temperatures as measured by the mouse bioassay. This indicates that there was at least a 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml reduction in activity. Inactivation in apple juice (pH 4.0), to the same degree as in the orange drink, was found only for the inverted orientation at 85°C. Complete inactivation in apple juice for all conditions was found at a lower added toxin level of 0.25 × 10(5) MLD50/ml. In general, bottle inversion and filling at 85°C provided complete inactivation of BoNT to the 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml level. All experiments resulted in the inactivation of 2.5 × 10(4) MLD50/ml of BoNT regardless of juice type, fill temperature, or bottle orientation and size.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USA; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, US. guy.skinner@fda.hhs.gov.
authors.forename: Guy E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USA; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, US.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Fleischman
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USA; Illinois Department of Public Health (IFPH), 2121 Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Fran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Balster
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USAU.S. Food and Drug Administration, Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, US.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reineke
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USAU.S. Food and Drug Administration, Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, US.
authors.forename: N Rukma
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, USA; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), 6502 South Archer Road, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501; US National Center for Food Protection and Defense, Learning and Environmental Sciences Building, University of Minnesota, 1954 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Larkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000032:analysis*; D032084:Citrus sinensis; D047013:Clostridium botulinum type A / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D000067030:Fruit and Vegetable Juices / Q000382:microbiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D027845:Malus; D051379:Mice; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A