R. Capita et al., Influence of strain and trisodium phosphate concentration on growth parameters of Listeria monocytogenes in vitro, LETT APPL M, 32(6), 2001, pp. 428-432
Aims: The present study was conducted to determine the influence of strain
and trisodium phosphate (TSP) concentration in the growth of Listeria monoc
ytogenes in vitro.
Methods and Results: Three strains (ATCC 11916, 64d, isolated from chicken
meat, and M2-5b, a clinical animal isolate) were inoculated in broth with 0
, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% (w/v) of TSP. The shortest lag phase and highest maximum
rate of growth (mu) were obtained in the presence of 0.5% TSP. In contrast,
the highest lag phase and lowest mu were obtained with 1.5% TSP. For each
TSP concentration, significant differences (P < 0.05) in lag phase and <mu>
of the three L. monocytogenes strains were observed.
Conclusions: The behaviour of L. monocytogenes is significantly influenced
by both the origin of the strain and the salt concentration.
Significance and Impact of the Study: Our results indicate the importance o
f choosing an adequate TSP concentration for the decontamination of foods,
because low concentrations could favour the growth of L. monocytogenes.