The feasibility of using ultrafiltration (UF) for removal of oligosaccharides from aqueous extracts of soybeans was investigated. Soybeans were soaked, blanched, ground, prefiltered, and the resulting full-fat extract processed in a hollow fiber UF unit. Initial permeate flux of 43-60 L/m'/hr at 3.5% total solids decreased semi-logarithmically to 13 L/m'/hr at 14% total solids. Low pH resulted in higher flux. Rates of removal of oligosaccharides closely followed theoretical behavior for a nonrejected solute during ultrafiltration and continuous diafiltration, and up to 96% could be removed by a twostage UF process. Final product assayed 60% protein, 35% fat and 0.6% oligosaccharides (dry basis).

By inducing spores to germinate, our data confirm that the resulting cells exhibit sensitivities that can be leveraged when paired with certain decontamination measures. This increased susceptibility could be exploited to devise more efficient and safe decontamination measures and may obviate the need for more stringent methods that are currently in place.

No abstract

Heat resistance of Listeria monocytogenes strains V7 and Scott A in chicken gravy and changes in heat resistance during refrigerated storage were studied. After chicken gravy was made, it was cooled to 40°C, inoculated with 105 CFU L. monocytogenes per ml of gravy, and then stored at 7°C for 10 d. Gravy was heated at 50, 55, 60, and 65°C immediately after inoculation and after 1, 3, 5, and 10 d of refrigerated storage. The D values for strains Scott A and V7 in gravy heated at 50°C at day 0 were 119 and 195 min and at day 10 they were 115 and 119 min, respectively, whereas at 65°C comparable values at day 0 were 0.48 and 0.19 min and at day 10 they were 0.014 and 0.007 min. Heat resistance (expressed as D values) was greater at day 0 than at the end of refrigerated storage. The z values ranged from 3.41 to 6.10°C and were highest at the early stages of chill storage and then decreased at the later stages. Strain V7 was more heat resistant than Scott A at 50°C. Strain Scott A always had a higher z value than did strain V7 at the same storage interval. A heat treatment greater than the 4-D process recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture was required to inactivate the large numbers of L. monocytogenes that developed in chicken gravy during refrigerated storage.

The suitability of handling practices used in school kitchens was evaluated using ground beef gravy that was contaminated with Clostridium perfringens. Cooked gravy was cooled to 110 F (43.5 C) and inoculated with a mixture of vegetative cells and spores of C. perfringens NCTC 8239 to provide approximately 10,000 organisms/g. After inoculation, gravy was packed in bags, refrigerated for 16 h, held for 5 h at 82 F (28 C) or 42 F (5.5 C), and then heated in a compartment steamer for 35 min or until the temperature of the gravy at the center of the pan reached 165 F (74 C). C. perfringens was enumerated at intervals during cooling, holding, and heating of the gravy. The number of viable cells after 16 h of refrigeration at 42 F (5.5 C) was influenced by the first 6 h of cooling when the temperature of the gravy was in the range that permitted growth of C. perfringens (65–122 F; 18.5–50 C). Plate counts of gravy held for 5 h at 82 F (28 C) or 42 F (5.5 C) indicated stablization of the C. perfringens population. When 165 F (74 C) was the final temperature to which the gravy was heated, no viable cells of C. perfringens were found.