Inability of Pediococcus pentosaceus to Inhibit Clostridium botulinum in sous vide Beef With Gravy at 4 and 10°C

Abstract

The ability of Pediococcus pentosaceus to inhibit Clostridium botulinum toxigenesis in minimally heat-treated, vacuum-packaged sous vide-type beef with gravy was investigated. The bacteriocinogenic strain P. pentosaceus ATCC 43200 and the nonbacteriocinogenic strain P. pentosaceus 43NP1 were coinoculated with proteolytic and nonproteolytic C. botulinum types A and B spores into minimally processed meat with gravy. Toxin was present in samples inoculated with C. botulinum alone by day 31 at 4°C and by day 6 at 10°C. When coinoculated with C. botulinum, neither strain of Pediococcus was capable of significantly delaying the appearance of toxin. Although an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method for botulinal toxin was useful for screening toxin-positive samples, a high proportion of false negatives was revealed by confirmatory mouse bioassays. This research confirms that, if botulinal spores are present, sous vide beef does present a botulinal hazard, even when kept under adequate refrigeration.

Co-incubation of Clostridium botulinum with protective cultures

“…Pediocossus pentosaceus did not grow at 5°C, which confirmed the findings of Crandall, Winkowski, and Montville (1994). At 10°C it grew from 10 7 to above 10 9 cfu/ml within 10 days and at 15°C within 6 days (Figs.…”

Antilisterial activity of lactic acid bacteria isolated from vacuum-packaged brazilian meat and meat products

“…In spite of the uncertainity of the taxonomical position of Listeria, the relatedness to the family Lactobacillaceae may explain their antilisterial activity (2,32,33). Strains # 1 and 13 were the more inhibitory followed by strains # 11 and 16.…”

“…However, the microbiological safety of these foods is of concern due to the possible presence of non-proteolitic strains of Clostridium botulinum able to grow at 4ºC and the postprocessing contamination with psychrothophic pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes (2,11).…”

The microbiology of cold smoked salmon

“…C. botulinum is often used as a model organism in the development of thermal processing design because, in addition to having highly heat resistant spores, it will survive in the vegetative form at temperatures down to 0 C. Peck (2006) points out that minimal heat treated chilled food has a stellar record when it comes to food safety in terms of botulism, and that the majority of cases due to failure of the cooling regime occurs at the retailer or the consumer. As an example, it takes C. botulinum 31 days to produce detectable amounts of lethal toxin type B at 4 C, whereas at 10 C it takes only six days (Crandall, Winkowski, & Montville, 1994). Since C. botulinum is seemingly ubiquitous in nature, it can be present in most types of raw foods.…”