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Use of Preservatives to Delay Toxin Formation by Clostridium botulinum (Type B, Strain Okra) in Vacuum-Packed, Cooked
S Notermans1, J Dufrenne1, M J H Keybets1
1Laboratory for Water and Food Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Hygiene, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Institute for Storage and Processing of Agricultural Produce (IBVL), P.O. Box 18, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Storage at temperatures below 4°C prevents growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum in vacuum-packed, cooked potatoes. The use of preservatives as an additional, built-in safety factor has been investigated. Dipping potatoes in a solution of ascorbic and citric acid before vacuum-packing and cooking (95°C for 50 min) inhibited growth and toxin production by proteolytic C. botulinum type B at an incubation temperature of 15°C for 70 d and at 20°C for at least 14 d. This preservative treatment also resulted in an organoleptically acceptable product with a prolonged shelf life. Risk analysis showed that the presence of C. botulinum in vacuum-packed, cooked potatoes may be expected, i.e., one spore in each 1585 kg of product. A preservative treatment with a combination of ascorbic and citric acid will limit the public health risk even if the potato product is accidently stored for a short time at a temperature higher than 4°C.
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