Pressure-assisted Thermal Processing Research Articles

Determination of Spore Inactivation during Thermal and Pressure-Assisted Thermal Processing Using FT-IR Spectroscopy

The efficacy of microbial inactivation techniques is currently tested using time-consuming and labor-intensive plate count methods, which are the principal rate-limiting steps in developing inactivation kinetic parameters for alternative food processing technologies. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis was used to quantify viable spores and identify some biochemical changes in samples treated by autoclaving, pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP), and thermal processing (TP). Spore suspensions ( approximately 109 CFU/mL) of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TMW 2.479 Fad 82, B. amyloliquefaciens TMW 2.482 Fad 11/2, B. sphaericus NZ 14, B. amyloliquefaciens ATCC 49764, and Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755 were treated by PATP (121 degrees C and 700 MPa) for 0, 10, 20, and 30 s and by TP (121 degrees C) for 0, 10, 20, and 30 s. The concentrations of spores in treated samples were determined by plating (reference method). Models developed using partial least-squares regression (PLSR) for predicting spore levels in treated samples had correlation coefficients (r) of >0.99 and standard errors of cross-validation ranging between 100.2 and 100.5 CFU/mL. Changes in dipicolinic acid (DPA) and secondary structure of proteins were found to occur during inactivation of spores by PATP and TP. FT-IR spectroscopy could rapidly estimate viable bacterial spore levels in PATP- and TP-treated spore suspensions, providing an accurate analytical tool for monitoring the efficacy of sterilization techniques in inactivating spore-forming microorganisms.

Combined Pressure-Thermal Inactivation Kinetics of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Spores in Egg Patty Mince

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a potential surrogate for Clostridium botulinum in validation studies involving bacterial spore inactivation by pressure-assisted thermal processing. Spores of B. amyloliquefaciens Fad 82 were inoculated into egg patty mince (∼1.4 × 108 spores per g), and the product was treated with combinations of pressure (0.1 to 700 MPa) and heat (95 to 121°C) in a custom-made high-pressure kinetic tester. The values for the inactivation kinetic parameter (D), temperature coefficient (zT), and pressure coefficient (zP) were determined with a linear model. Inactivation parameters from the nonlinear Weibull model also were estimated. An increase in process pressure decreased the D-value at 95, 105, and 110°C; however, at 121°C the contribution of pressure to spore lethality was less pronounced. The zP-value increased from 170 MPa at 95°C to 332 MPa at 121°C, suggesting that B. amyloliquefaciens spores became less sensitive to pressure changes at higher temperatures. Similarly, the zT-value increased from 8.2°C at 0.1 MPa to 26.8°C at 700 MPa, indicating that at elevated pressures, the spores were less sensitive to changes in temperature. The nonlinear Weibull model parameter b increased with increasing pressure or temperature and was inversely related to the D-value. Pressure-assisted thermal processing is a potential alternative to thermal processing for producing shelf-stable egg products.

Inactivation of Bacillus stearothermophilus spores in egg patties by pressure-assisted thermal processing

The use of pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP) to inactivate bacterial spores in shelf-stable low-acid foods, without diminishing product quality, has received widespread industry interest. Egg patties were inoculated with Bacillus stearothermophilus spores (10 6 spores/g) and the product was packaged in sterile pouches by heat sealing. Test samples were preheated and then PATP-treated at 105 °C at various pressures and pressure-holding times. Thermal inactivation of spores was studied at 121 °C using custom-fabricated aluminum tubes; this treatment served as a control. Application of PATP at 700 MPa and 105 °C inactivated B. stearothermophilus spores, suspended in egg matrix rapidly, (4 log reductions in 5 min) when compared to thermal treatment at 121 °C (1.5 log reduction in 15 min). Spore inactivation by PATP progressed rapidly (3 log reductions at 700 MPa and 105 °C) during pressure-hold for up to 100 s, but greater holding times (up to 5 min) had comparatively limited effect. When PATP was applied to spores in water suspension or egg patties, D values were not significantly different. While thermal inactivation of spores followed first-order kinetics, PATP inactivation exhibited nonlinear inactivation kinetics. Among the nonlinear models tested, the Weibull model best described PATP inactivation of B. stearothermophilus spores in the egg product.