Effect of Initial Headspace O2 Level on the Growth and Volatile Metabolite Production of Leuconostoc Mesenteriodes and the Microbial and Sensorial Quality of Modified Atmosphere Packaged Par-Fried French Fries.

This study evaluated the effect of residual O2 level (0% to 5%) on microbial growth and volatile metabolite production on par-fried French fries packaged in a modified atmosphere with 60% CO2 (rest N2 ) at 4 °C. The results obtained showed that the initial headspace (IH) O2 level had an effect on growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides on French fry simulation agar, whereby growth was slightly faster under 5% O2 . In terms of quantity, ethanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, and dimethyl disulphide were the most significant volatile metabolites produced by L. mesenteroides. The production of ethanol by L. mesenteroides was highest on simulation agar packaged under low IH O2 levels (0% to 1%), indicating that the fermentative metabolism was induced under these conditions. In agreement with the results observed on the simulation medium, growth of native lactic acid bacteria was faster under an IH O2 level of 5%. In addition, ethanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, and dimethyl disulphide were also quantitatively the most important volatile metabolites. However, in contrast, greater quantities of ethanol and dimethyl disulphide were produced on par-fried French fries packaged under 5% O2 . This was attributed to the limited growth of the native flora on the par-fried French fries under residual O2 levels of 0% and 1%. Although some significant differences (P < 0.05) occurred between the French fries packaged in 0%, 1%, and 5 % residual O2 during storage, all products were considered to be acceptable for consumption. The results of this study can be used to optimize the shelf-life of packaged chill stored potato products.

Application of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the detection of enterotoxins produced by pathogenic strains of the Bacillus cereus group.

Enterotoxins produced by different species of the Bacillus cereus group, such as cytotoxin K1 (CytK1) and non-haemolytic enterotoxin (NHE), have been associated with diarrhoeal food poisoning incidents. Detection of CytK1 is not possible with commercial assays while NHE is recognised by an immunological kit (TECRA) that does not specifically target this protein because it is based on polyclonal antibodies. It is evident that the lack of suitable tools for the study of enterotoxins hampers the possibilities for accurate hazard identification and characterisation in microbial food safety risk assessment. We applied matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) for the detection of CytK1 and NHE produced by pathogenic strains of the B. cereus group using protein digests from 1D gel electrophoresis. Secretion of CytK1 and two of the three components of NHE was confirmed in supernatants of different B. cereus cultures. For each protein, we introduce biomarkers that could be used for the screening of food poisoning or food/environmental isolates that can secrete enterotoxins. For example, tryptic peptides of 2,310.2 and 1,192.5 Da (calculated mass) can be indicators for CytK1 and NheA, respectively, although a simultaneous detection of other enterotoxin-specific peptides is recommended to assure the presence of a toxin in an unknown sample. Comparison of MALDI-TOF/MS with the TECRA kit showed that our methodological strategy performed well and it had the competitive advantage of specifically detecting NheA. Therefore, MALDI-TOF/MS can be successfully incorporated into risk assessment procedures in order to determine the involvement of strains of the B. cereus group in foodborne outbreaks, including the recently described cytK1 producing species, Bacillus cytotoxicus.