Behavior of Salmonella Heidelberg in Fruit Juices

Abstract

The aim of the study is determination of the behavior of Salmonella heidelberg under acidic conditions and variable temperatures. The growth and survival of Salmonella heidelberg (10 isolates) in fresh fruit juices including; apple (pH, 3.2-1.4), orange (pH, 5.4 –1.5), mango (pH, 5.4-2.8), guava (pH, 5.7-2.4), pineapple (pH, 5.6-2.3), and cocktail (pH, 5.7-2.3) were determined after 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 days of storage at 10 ºC, 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days of storage at 25 ºC, and 0, 3, 6 and 9 days of storage at 37 ºC. Survival in fruit juices depended upon their pH, the type of strain, the type of juices and the incubation temperature. Salmonella heidelberg Survived for up to 18 d in mango, guava, pineapple and cocktail juices, orange juice for up to 15 d and apple juice for up to 12 d stored at 10 ºC. At 20 ºC, Salmonella heidelberg was survived for up to 12 d in guava, pineapple and cocktail juices, 9 d for mango juice, orange juice for up to 9 d and apple juice for up to 6 d. The shortest survival time was observed at 37 ºC for 9 d in mango, guava, pineapple, cocktail juices, 6 d for orange as well as 3 d for apple juices respectively. These findings indicated that, as temperatures of acidify fresh fruit juices (apple, orange, mango, guava, pineapple and cocktail juices, respectively) increase as Salmonella heidelberg population decrease. The author reported that, Acid foods, especially if kept at refrigeration temperatures, support survival of Salmonella heidelberg and may cause Salmonella heidelberg food poisoning.