Leakage of Intracellular UV Materials of High Hydrostatic Pressure-Injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strains in Tomato Juice

• Published in: Journal of food protection 2009-11, Vol.72 (11), p.2407-2412
• Main Authors: Ukuku, D.O, Zhang, H, Bari, M.L, Yamamoto, K, Kawamoto, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; bacterial contamination; Beverages - microbiology; Colony Count, Microbial; Consumer Product Safety; E coli; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli O157 - growth & development; Escherichia coli O157:H7; Fluid dynamics; Food; food analysis; food composition; food contamination; Food Handling - methods; Food Preservation - methods; Food safety; Fruit juices; Heat; high hydrostatic pressure treatment; high pressure treatment; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydrostatic Pressure; Lycopersicon esculentum; Pathogens; phosphate buffered saline; Pressure; Salmonella; Solanum lycopersicum; Temperature; Time Factors; tomato juice; Tomatoes; ultraviolet radiation
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X-72.11.2407

The behavior of high hydrostatic pressure-injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells (strain SEA13B88 and a strain from the June-July 1999 Oklahoma juice outbreak) in tomato juice (pH 4.1) and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.2) at final concentrations of 8.4 to 8.8 log CFU/ml, respectively, and treated at 400, 500, and 600 MPa for 40 min at 25 and 35°C with storage at 5 and 23°C for 1,800 min was investigated. Immediately after treatment and every 3 h for 24 h of storage, an aliquot (0.1 ml) was plated on Trypticase soy agar and sorbitol MacConkey agar to determine the percentage of injured population. Leakage of UV materials and possible recovery from injury were investigated. Pressure (600-MPa) treatment at 35°C for 40 min caused a higher percentage of bacterial injury than for 10 min of treatment. A higher percentage of injured population was found among the Oklahoma strain cells than among strain SEA13B88 cells, and differences in viability loss for bacterial strains were determined. The viability loss determined in PBS was 4.8 log for SEA13B88 cells and 5.2 log for Oklahoma cells, while losses of 5.4 and 5.7 log were determined in tomato juice for SEA13B88 and Oklahoma cells, respectively. The leakage of intracellular materials of injured Oklahoma cells was higher than that observed for SEA13B88 cells, but injured Oklahoma cells recovered faster in PBS. However, injured and healthy populations for both strains were below detection in tomato juice stored at 5°C for 1,440 min.