Dose response curves of Listeria innocua inactivation in thermally treated orange juice supplemented with natural antimicrobials

CHAR, C; GUERRERO, S; ALZAMORA, STELLA MARIS

Puerto Vallarta

Congreso; V Congreso Iberoamericano de Ingeniería de Alimentos - CIBIA V; 2005

Increasing demand for reduced-additive and more natural foods have encouraged new efforts to find “green antimicrobial agents” appropriate for foods traditionally considered preserved by pH and the presence of organic acids. Development of novel processing technologies involving the use of natural antimicrobials in conjunction with traditional treatments has been investigated (1). Among natural antimicrobials, vanillin and citral  have been shown to be  natural inhibitors for molds and yeasts in fruit products (2). Although low pH of fruit juices inhibits growth of pathogens, many of them are capable of surviving. Contamination of commercial products with Listeria has become a major concern for food processors The objective of this study was to evaluate and to model the survival of Listeria innocua, as surrogate microorganism for L. monocytogenes in orange juice as affected by combined treatments considering the addition of vanillin and/or citral and slight thermal treatment at various exposure times, concentrations and temperatures.