Souring of South African tomato juice by Bacillus coagulans

Abstract

The occurrence of flat‐sour spoilage in South African tomato juice is reported and the biochemical characteristics, D and z values, of the causative organism are described. pH adjustment to prevent spore germination, as originally proposed by Pederson & Becker, is suggested as the simplest control measure. The inhibition of B. coagulans by tomato juice when added to culture media is apparently a pH effect. The failure of B. coagulans to produce gas in canned tomato juice is due to a restricted oxygen supply, and probably to the inhibition of gas production by carbon dioxide.

The Occurrence of Bacillus coagulans with High Heat Resistance

“…At p H 4.4 and a t p H 6.3 the thermal resistance was higher in the cations containing tomato juice solution than in the evaporated milk solution. Anderson, Esselen & Fellers (1949) and Knock, Lambrechts, Hunter & Riley (1959) demonstrated that the phosphate concentration in the heating medium, the p H and several other factors affect the heat resistance of the spores. Frank & Campbell (1957) showed that the rate of thermal destruction of the spores of B. coagulans can be nonlogarithmic:…”