Survival and Germination of Clostridium perfringens Spores during Heating and Cooling of Ground Pork

Abstract

<jats:p>The effect of heating rate on the heat resistance, germination, and outgrowth of Clostridium perfringens spores during cooking of cured ground pork was investigated. Inoculated cured ground pork portions were heated from 20 to 75°C at a rate of 4, 8, or 12°C/h and then held at 75°C for 48 h. No significant differences (P &amp;gt; 0.05) in the heat resistance of C. perfringens spores were observed in cured ground pork heated at 4, 8, or 12°C/h. At heating rates of 8 and 12°C/h, no significant differences in the germination and outgrowth of spores were observed (P &amp;gt; 0.05). However, when pork was heated at 4°C/h, growth of C. perfringens occurred when the temperature of the product was between 44 and 56°C. In another set of experiments, the behavior of C. perfringens spores under temperature abuse conditions was studied in cured and noncured ground pork heated at 4°C/h and then cooled from 54.4 to 7.2°C within 20 h. Temperature abuse during cooling of noncured ground pork resulted in a 2.8-log CFU/g increase in C. perfringens. In cured ground pork, C. perfringens decreased by 1.1 log CFU/g during cooling from 54.4 to 36.3°C and then increased by 0.9 log CFU/g until the product reached 7.2°C. Even when the initial level of C. perfringens spores in cured ground pork was 5 log CFU/g, the final counts after abusive cooling did not exceed 3.4 log CFU/g. These results suggest that there is no risk associated with C. perfringens in cured pork products under the tested conditions.</jats:p>

Effects of wet heat treatment on the germination of individual spores of Clostridium perfringens

“…, ; Márquez‐González et al . ). However, a heat treatment giving more than a 4‐log kill did not significantly affect the germination kinetics of Clostridium difficile spores (Rodriguez‐Palacios and LeJeune ).…”

“…; Márquez‐González et al . ). Clostridium perfringens spores generally exhibit higher wet heat resistance than spores of Bacillus species, with c .…”

“…The germination of wet heat-treated Cl. botulinum and Clostridium perfringens spores is also slowed, and a significant percentage of these spores that do germinate are also blocked in outgrowth indicating they are dead (Duncan et al 1972;Stringer et al 2009Stringer et al , 2011Márquez-González et al 2012). However, a heat treatment giving more than a 4-log kill did not significantly affect the germination kinetics of Clostridium difficile spores (Rodriguez-Palacios and LeJeune 2011).…”

“…The bacterium Cl. perfringens is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States and the high heat resistance of the spores of this species can allow them to survive a cooking process and ultimately germinate, grow and cause illness (Duncan et al 1972;Orsburn et al 2008;Márquez-González et al 2012). Clostridium perfringens spores generally exhibit higher wet heat resistance than spores of Bacillus species, with c. 100°C generally required to efficiently kill Cl.…”

Effect of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) on Growth Control of Clostridium perfringens and Lipid Oxidation of Ready‐to‐Eat Jokbal (Pig's Trotters)

“…Recently, consumer concerns over the safety and the demand for natural foods have called for an attention to the search for natural biopreservatives, which can provide antimicrobial effects and improve food quality. Many researchers have studied antimicrobial effects of natural ingredients on the growth of C. perfringens vegetative cell or the germination and the outgrowth of the C. perfringens spore, such as lactate (Juneja ; Velugoti and others ; Yarbaeva and others ), sodium citrate (Yarbaeva and others ), lemon juice (Valenzuela‐Martinez and others ), tannin (Elizondo and others ), and essential oil (De Oliveira and others ), and natural and organic nitrate (Jackson and others ; Márquez‐González and others ),…”