COMPLETE INHIBITION OF LOW-LEVELS OF LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES ON REFRIGERATED CHICKEN MEAT WITH PEDIOCIN ACH BOUND TO HEAT-KILLED PEDIOCOCCUS-ACIDILACTICI CELLS
Jh. Goff et al., COMPLETE INHIBITION OF LOW-LEVELS OF LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES ON REFRIGERATED CHICKEN MEAT WITH PEDIOCIN ACH BOUND TO HEAT-KILLED PEDIOCOCCUS-ACIDILACTICI CELLS, Journal of food protection, 59(11), 1996, pp. 1187-1192
A pediocin-cell preparation from Pediococcus acidilactici H (pediocin
AcH) was prepared by binding this bacteriocin to heat-killed producer
cells by adjusting the pH of the medium to 6.0. This preparation, when
added to irradiation-sterilized raw chicken breast meat in two experi
ments, had an inhibitory effect on Listeria monocytogenes Scott A duri
ng incubation at 5 degrees C. In the first experiment, chicken with no
pediocin-cell preparation (control) showed an increase of 1.9 log CFU
/g, from 6.2 to 8.1 log CFU/g over 28 days from an initial challenge o
f about 5 log CFU/g of L. monocytogenes Scott A. A pediocin level of 2
,400 AU/g decreased the Listeria monocytogenes Scott A count to 2.8 lo
g CFU/g at 28 days. In the second experiment, at a challenge level of
about 3 log CFU/g of L. monocytogenes Scott A, a pediocin addition of
2,400 AU/g caused a 1-log unit reduction at day 0, and from day 7 to 2
8 the counts were reduced to less than detectable levels. Conversely,
counts in controls increased 1.9 log CFU/g, from 3.5 to 5.6 log CFU/g
over 28 days. Although L. monocytogenes Scott A was inhibited, residua
l pediocin was not detectable in the exudates from treated raw chicken
. Experiments with sodium dodecyl sulfate showed that the pediocin rem
ained bound to chicken proteins and retained antilisterial activity. C
onversely, pediocin did not bind as readily to cooked chicken. When bo
und to raw chicken before cooking, pediocin activity was found associa
ted with the cooked chicken. Collectively, the data indicate that raw
chicken treated with pediocin AcH exhibits antilisterial activity both
before and after cooking, thus offering protection to consumers from
foodborne illnesses caused by postprocessing recontamination and/or un
dercooking.