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The stability of Clostridium botulinum type E toxin in salty and/or acid environment
Author(s) -
HUS H. H.,
PETERSEN E. RYE
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1980.tb00982.x
Subject(s) - toxin , clostridium botulinum , food science , fish <actinopterygii> , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , salt (chemistry) , chemistry , fishery
Summary The stability of preformed Clostridium botulinum type E toxin in sterile buffer‐and salt‐solutions and in some commercial fish products has been examined. It has been found that progenitor toxin is stable for weeks at room temperature in sterile culture filtrate, spoiling fish and in low acid fish products and that it is unaffected by sterile saturated salt (NaCl) solutions and in salted fish. In high acid feed fish (fish silage pH 2–4) some inconsistant increased toxin titres have been observed. The activated toxin, on the other hand, decreased and increased in titre during several weeks of storage in culture filtrate with added trypsin. In sterile NaCl solutions the titre decreased by a factor of 10 to that of a progenitor toxin, but in spoiling raw and salted fish toxicity was lost when pH exceeded 7.5. The public health significance of these results is discussed.