Related Experiment Videos
Microorganism inactivation using high-pressure generation in sealed vessels under sub-zero temperature
K Hayakawa1, Y Ueno, S Kawamura
1Kyoto Prefectural Comprehensive Guidance Center for Small and Medium Enterprises, Japan.
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
|November 27, 1998
Summary
High pressure generated by cooling water to sub-zero temperatures effectively inactivates common microbes. This simple method offers new possibilities for preserving foods and biological materials.
Area of Science:
- Bioscience and biotechnology
- Food science
- Microbiology
Background:
- High pressure (HP) is increasingly explored for bioscience applications.
- A simple, cost-effective HP generation method is needed for microbial inactivation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel method for generating high pressure using sub-zero temperatures.
- To evaluate the efficacy of this HP method for microbial inactivation.
Main Methods:
- High pressure was generated by sealing a vessel with water and cooling it to sub-zero temperatures (-5°C to -22°C).
- The generated pressures ranged from 60 MPa to 140 MPa.
- Microbial inactivation was tested on various yeasts, bacteria, and fungi.
Main Results:
- Pressures of 140 MPa were achieved at -15°C to -22°C.
- Complete inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Lactobacillus brevis, Eschericia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus oryzae was observed after 24h at -20°C.
- Staphylococcus aureus showed only partial inactivation under the same conditions.
Conclusions:
- Cooling water to sub-zero temperatures is a viable method for generating high pressure.
- This HP method demonstrates significant potential for microbial inactivation, offering applications in food and biological material preservation, transport, and sterilization.