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Elimination of Listeria monocytogenes in soft and red smear cheeses by irradiation with low energy electrons
Author(s) -
ENNAHAR SAÏD,
KUNTZ FLORENT,
STRASSER ALAIN,
BERGAENTZLE MARTINE,
HASSELMANN CLAUDE,
STAHL VALÉRIE
Publication year - 1994
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.1365-2621.1994.tb02081.x
Subject(s) - listeria monocytogenes , irradiation , listeria , electron , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , chemistry , physics , biology , bacteria , nuclear physics , genetics
Soft and red smear cheeses are frequently contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes , sometimes at relatively high concentration (< 10 5 CFUg ‐1 ). This bacterium is radiosensitive (D 10 value of approximately 0.45 kGy) but irradiation of the whole cheese by X‐rays induced off‐flavours when the dose exceeded 1.0 kGy. Irradiation could be effective in eliminating L. monocytogenes only from lightly contaminated cheeses (> 10 2 CFU g ‐1 ). L. monocytogenes appears only in the rind (where the pH is greater than 6.3) and never grows in the core of the cheese. Under these conditions, a specific irradiation of the rind after ripening, with a low‐energy electron beam at relatively high doses (up to 3.0 kGy), allows the total elimination of L. monocytogenes in heavily contaminated samples (10 5 ‐10 6 CFU g ‐1 ) without noticeable modifications of the organoleptic properties of the cheese.