Clostridium perfringens: hazards in new generation foods

Abstract

The retail increase in refrigerated ready-to-eat foods provides an exploitable environment suitable for an opportunistic pathogen such as Clostridium perfringens. The microorganism, in spite of a requirement for 13 essential amino acids, an optimal growth range of 43–45 °C, pH range 5–8, and a substrate water activity range of 0.93–0.97, can be found to be ubiquitously viable in food, water and air. Survival under extreme conditions is largely a factor of differentiation from metabolically active vegetative cells to highly resistant (100 °C for 60 min), dormant spores. It is the sporulation of large numbers of vegetative cells (10 6/g of food) and the associated release of enterotoxin in the human intestine that results in typical gastrointestinal symptoms of acute abdominal pain and diarrhea in conjunction with a loss of membrane ionic balance. As a consequence of the inevitable presence of C. perfringens in foods, the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established performance standards for the pathogen in meat products. This review examines the current knowledge base of specific characteristics and attributes that make this microorganism a food safety concern. In addition, suggestions are made to reduce the likelihood of food-borne infection and transmission.