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The effect of potassium sulphite on the recovery of micro‐organisms from dehydrated onion
Author(s) -
Moussa R. S.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740240408
Subject(s) - bacilli , food science , potassium , flora (microbiology) , anaerobic exercise , catalase , spore , chemistry , gram , biology , staphylococcus aureus , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , enzyme , genetics , physiology , organic chemistry
The addition of potassium sulphite to onion powder and onion flake homogenates improved the recovery of several microbial groups constituting the aerobic flora of many onion samples. The counts of sulphite‐reducing anaerobic spores were not affected. A correlation is found between each sample's content of the pungent principle and the degree to which the addition of sulphite recovers its aerobic microbial flora. Aerobic spore‐forming bacilli, Gram positive and catalase negative streptococci, Gram and oxidase negative and occasionally pigmented bacilli and yeasts and moulds formed the greater part of the dehydrated onion flora. Escherichia coli was isolated in relatively low numbers from only 4 of the samples. All 243 samples showed a Staphylococcus aureus count of less than 10/g.