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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148137
Title: BACTERIAL SURVIVAL FOLLOWING SYNERGISTIC USE OF OZONE AND HEAT

Author
item Novak, John

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2003
Publication Date: 8/12/2003
Citation: NOVAK, J.S. BACTERIAL SURVIVAL FOLLOWING SYNERGISTIC USE OF OZONE AND HEAT. MEETING ABSTRACT. 2003.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Beef is a common vehicle for food-borne illness caused by Clostridium perfringens type A. Of the estimated 250,000 cases of illness annually in the U.S., many are found to be a result of improper food cooking or holding temperatures allowing growth of the pathogen to the high cell numbers needed to cause disease. This study successfully demonstrated the use of an aqueous ozone wash on beef surfaces to inactivate and injure both C. perfringens cells and the highly resistant spore form of the bacterium prior to mild heat treatments resulting in a product that is less likely to result in food-borne illness. Ozone treatment of beef surfaces enhanced the effectiveness of cooking temperatures ranging from 45C to 75C against enterotoxin-producing strains of Clostridium perfringens. Vegetative cells on beef surfaces at an initial concentration of 5.59 + 0.17 log CFU/g were reduced significantly (P < 0.05) to 4.09 + 0.72 log CFU/g and 3.50 + 0.90 log CFU/g following combined treatments with aqueous ozone (5 ppm) and subsequent heating at 45C and 55C, respectively. Spores on the beef surface were likewise significantly reduced from an initial concentration of 2.94 + 0.37 log CFU/g to 2.07 + 0.38 log CFU/g and 1.70 + 0.37 log CFU/g following the combined treatment with aqueous ozone (5 ppm) and subsequent heating at 55C and 75C, respectively. Current research data on the recovery of viable cells over extended storage periods following such treatments will also be presented. This study provides evidence for the decreased resistance of vegetative cells and even resilient spores of C. perfringens with ozone treatment followed by heat at temperatures that would not otherwise be as effective, thus potentially lowering the heating requirements for beef products while maintaining safety.