EFFECT OF COTTONSEED AND SOY PRODUCTS ON THE GROWTH OF Clostridium perfringens

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe objective of this research was to investigate the effect of cottonseed and soy products on the growth of Clostridium perfringens. Cultures of C perfringens were inoculated into liquid media and enumerated on egg yolk‐free tryptose‐sulfite‐cycloserine agar. In autoclaved media containing cottonseed or soy products as the sole source of protein, there were no significant differences in generation times due to the protein sources. However, a significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed between the generation times of C. perfringens strains ATCC 3624 and NCTC 8238. In another series of experiments, C. perfringens ATCC 3624 was grown in autoclaved media containing ground beef, chicken or turkey, alone or in combination with cottonseed and soy products. The substitution of one‐half of the meat protein with cottonseed protein resulted in significant increases in generation times (decreases in growth rates) when compared to meat alone. Also, the carbohydrate fractions of cottonseed products retarded the growth of C. perfringens. Substitution with soy protein did not significantly affect the generation times. The results of this investigation show that cooked cottonseed and soy products added to meat systems have a variable effect on the growth of C. perfringens.