Effects of pH, dissolved oxygen, and ionic strength on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in organic acid solutions (original) (raw)
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Journal of Food Protection, 2011
Outbreaks of disease due to vegetative bacterial pathogens associated with acid foods (such as apple cider) have raised concerns about acidified vegetables and related products that have a similar pH (3.2 to 4.0). Escherichia coli O157:H7 and related strains of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) have been identified as the most acid resistant vegetative pathogens in these products. Previous research has shown that the lack of dissolved oxygen in many hermetically sealed acid or acidified food products can enhance survival of EHEC compared with their survival under aerobic conditions. We compared the antimicrobial effects of several food acids (acetic, malic, lactic, fumaric, benzoic, and sorbic acids and sulfite) on a cocktail of EHEC strains under conditions representative of non–heat-processed acidified vegetables in hermetically sealed jars, holding the pH (3.2) and ionic strength (0.342) constant under anaerobic conditions. The overall antimicrobial effectiveness of weak acids use...
Journal of Food Protection, 2001
The adaptation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells to acid conditions has been reported. This study showed the behavior of three strains of E. coli O157:H7 in two different physiological stages (acid shocked and control cells), inoculated in five fruit pulps stored at 4°C for up to 30 days. The three strains of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated in grape pulp could be recovered up to day 30. E. coli O157:H7 strains survived for 4 days in all fruit pulps tested with different pH values (2.51 to 3.26), with the exception of acid-shocked cells of E. coli O157:H7 strain 933, which did not survive in “cajá” (Spodias lutea L.) pulp. The results clearly indicated that acid resistance can persist for long periods during storage at 4°C. The protection conferred by acid adaptation suggests that acid-resistant organisms will be better equipped to outlast these acid challenges. The survival of E. coli O157:H7 in fruit pulps with a low pH, stored under refrigeration, is of extreme importance due to the hi...
Journal of Food Protection, 2014
Numerous outbreaks involving fresh juices contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 have occurred in the United States and around the world, raising concern for the safety of these products. Until now, only a few studies regarding the thermal tolerance of this pathogen in acidic juices over a wide range of pH values have been published. Therefore, the effect of varying the pH with different organic acids on the thermal inactivation of non–acid-adapted and acid-adapted E. coli O157:H7 (strain C7927) was determined. The decimal reduction times (D-values) and the change in temperature required for the thermal destruction curve to traverse 1 log cycle (z-values) were calculated for non–acid-adapted E. coli in an apple-carrot juice blend (80:20) adjusted to three pH values (3.3, 3.5, and 3.7) by the addition of lactic, malic, or acetic acid and at a pH of 4.5 adjusted with NaOH. Thermal parameters were also determined for acid-adapted cells in juices acidified with malic acid. The effec...
International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 2005
The survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in acidic foods and its enhanced survival in refrigerated acid foods are well documented. This prompted the present study to evaluate the growth potential of E. coli O157:H7 in fresh tropical fruit juices. The pH of the various juices ranged between 3.57 (pineapple) and 6.2 (avocado). Samples were separately inoculated with a mixture of four E. coli O157:H7 strains at initial levels of approximately 10(3) cfu/ml, and stored at refrigeration (4 degrees C) and ambient (20-25 degrees C) temperatures for 120 h. In pineapple juice, some decline in count was noted during ambient temperature storage but complete inhibition was not observed. At refrigeration temperature, the test strains survived without a noticeable decline in number. The pH remained unchanged throughout the experiment at both incubation temperatures. In papaya and avocado juices, counts of the test strains increased at varying rates at both storage temperatures. A decrease in pH wa...
The survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in acidic foods and its enhanced survival in refrigerated acid foods are well documented. This prompted the present study to evaluate the growth potential of E. coli O157:H7 in fresh tropical fruit juices. The pH of the various juices ranged between 3.57 (pineapple) and 6.2 (avocado). Samples were separately inoculated with a mixture of four E. coli O157:H7 strains at initial levels of approximately 10 3 cfu/ml, and stored at refrigeration (48C) and ambient (20 Á/258C) temperatures for 120 h. In pineapple juice, some decline in count was noted during ambient temperature storage but complete inhibition was not observed. At refrigeration temperature, the test strains survived without a noticeable decline in number. The pH remained unchanged throughout the experiment at both incubation temperatures. In papaya and avocado juices, counts of the test strains increased at varying rates at both storage temperatures. A decrease in pH was also noted in the stored juice. This study demonstrated that E. coli O157:H7 can survive well in acidic pineapple juice at both incubation temperatures and could also grow luxuriously in fruit juices with relatively higher pH values ( /5.7) when stored at ambient and refrigeration temperatures.
Survival and Growth of Acid Adapted Escherichia Coli Strains in Broth at Different PH Levels
Journal of Food Safety, 2009
Acid resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain UT 10 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was determined in brain heart infusion broth at pH 7.4, 4.5 and 2.5. Variations due to acid stress in the counts of both strains were also determined. Acid adaptation enhanced the survival of both strains at pH 4.5, but neither strain could survive after 4 h at pH 2.5. At optimum growth conditions (pH 7.4), E. coli ATCC 25922 exhibited increased viability over E. coli UT 10. At pH 4.5, E. coli UT 10 was more tolerant to low pH than E. coli ATCC 25922. An increase in saturated fatty acids of both AA strains was observed, indicating the importance of lipid modification in enhancing survival at low pH. The results of this study indicated that the food industry should therefore adapt their processing/preservation procedures by taking the most acid tolerant pathogenic E. coli strains into consideration in order to ensure the safety of their products.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2004
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a highly acid-resistant food-borne pathogen that survives in the bovine and human gastrointestinal tracts and in acidic foods such as apple cider. This property is thought to contribute to the low infectious dose of the organism. Three acid resistance (AR) systems are expressed in stationary-phase cells. AR system 1 is σ S dependent, while AR systems 2 and 3 are glutamate and arginine dependent, respectively. In this study, we sought to determine which AR systems are important for survival in acidic foods and which are required for survival in the bovine intestinal tract. Wild-type and mutant E. coli O157:H7 strains deficient in AR system 1, 2, or 3 were challenged with apple cider and inoculated into calves. Wild-type cells, adapted at pH 5.5 in the absence of glucose (AR system 1 induced), survived well in apple cider. Conversely, the mutant deficient in AR system 1, shown previously to survive poorly in calves, was susceptible to apple cider (pH 3.5), ...
International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
The survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in acidic foods and its enhanced survival in refrigerated acid foods are well documented. This prompted the present study to evaluate the growth potential of E. coli O157:H7 in fresh tropical fruit juices. The pH of the various juices ranged between 3.57 (pineapple) and 6.2 (avocado). Samples were separately inoculated with a mixture of four E. coli O157:H7 strains at initial levels of approximately 10 3 cfu/ml, and stored at refrigeration (48C) and ambient (20 Á/258C) temperatures for 120 h. In pineapple juice, some decline in count was noted during ambient temperature storage but complete inhibition was not observed. At refrigeration temperature, the test strains survived without a noticeable decline in number. The pH remained unchanged throughout the experiment at both incubation temperatures. In papaya and avocado juices, counts of the test strains increased at varying rates at both storage temperatures. A decrease in pH was also noted in the stored juice. This study demonstrated that E. coli O157:H7 can survive well in acidic pineapple juice at both incubation temperatures and could also grow luxuriously in fruit juices with relatively higher pH values ( /5.7) when stored at ambient and refrigeration temperatures.
Survival and characterization of Escherichia coli strains in a typical Mexican acid-fermented food
International Journal of Food Microbiology, 2001
In this study, the acid resistance and the changes in outer membrane protein (Omps) profiles of Escherichia coli strains isolated from pozol, an acid-fermented maize beverage consumed in Southeastern Mexico, were determined. Results showed that adaptation to acid by these E. coli strains significantly enhances their survival in acid conditions. Changes in Omp profiles were found in non-adapted acid challenged cells compared with non-challenged cells that had not been adapted to acid. Challenged adapted cells showed no significant changes in these profiles when compared with the acid adapted non-challenged strains. N-terminal sequences of some of the Omps were determined. The intensity of the main porins OmpC and OmpA was lower in the acid challenged strains, than in the non-challenged ones. The OmpF porin was identified in non-challenged K12 strain, but did not appear in adapted or non-adapted pozol strains nor in E. coli O157:H7.
Food Microbiology, 2005
Five verotoxin-producing non-O157:H7 Escherichia coli (VTEC) isolates (serotypes O26:H11, O91:H21, O111:H-, O145:H-, O174:H21) from hamburger and cattle, one O157:H7 clinical strain (human) and one O157:H7 strain isolated from cattle, were evaluated for their ability to grow in acidic broth. Luria Bertani (LB) broth supplemented with acetic or citric acid and adjusted to several pH values, were inoculated with stationary phase cultures of each strain, to determine the minimum pH for growth. This parameter depended upon the bacterial strain and the type and concentration of the organic acid used. The O91:H21 strain grew better in broth supplemented with 0.1 M acetic acid (pH 5.5) than both O157:H7 strains. Acetic acid exerted a greater antibacterial effect than citric acid at the same concentration and pH. Three strains (serotypes O91:H21, O111:H-and the O157:H7 clinical isolate) were incubated in apple cider vinegar, capsicum pickle brine and apple juice. All strains survived foro10 min in apple cider vinegar (0.8 M acetic acid) and o1 h in brine (0.4 M acetic acid). When exposed to apple juices, these serotypes displayed different behavior indicating that the O157:H7 strain had the lowest acidic resistance. We consider these findings useful for food manufacturers before designing a HACCP plan for acidic products. r