Effect of plating and incubation conditions on the detection of lactic acid bacteria after high hydrostatic pressure treatment

ABSTRACT

Lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Enterococcus faecalis, and Lactobacillus fermentum) were subjected to high hydrostatic pressures (HHPs) of 400 and 600 MPa at 25°C for 10 min in phosphate-buffered saline. Differential plating methods were applied to evaluate HHP-treated cell populations, assuming that healthy and injured cells during plate incubation survived maximum and minimal stress, respectively. The stress was altered by using several selective media in combination with aerobic or anaerobic incubation at 25°C or 30°C. E. faecalis was detectable after 600 MPa treatment while L. mesenteroides and L. fermentum were nondetectable. Specific combinations of incubation conditions were suggested to determine maximum and minimum viable counts of L. mesenteroides and E. faecalis. The difference between the maximum and minimum counts can be used to evaluate HHP-injured population with reduced risks to overestimate healthy and/or underestimate HHP-injured cells.

KEYWORDS:

• High hydrostatic pressure
• inactivation
• differential plating
• lactic acid bacteria
• injury

Acknowledgements

The authors express sincere appreciation to Ms. Asami Toshinari (Marudai Food Co., Ltd.) for her excellent technical assistance throughout this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.