Design of challenge testing experiments to assess the variability of Listeria monocytogenes growth in foods

The assessment of the evolution of micro-organisms naturally contaminating food must take into account the variability of biological factors, food characteristics and storage conditions. A research project involving eight French laboratories was conducted to quantify the variability of growth parameters of Listeria monocytogenes obtained by challenge testing in five food products. The residual variability corresponded to a coefficient of variation (CV) of approximately 20% for the growth rate (μmax) and 130% for the parameter K = μmax × lag. The between-batch and between-manufacturer variability of μmax was very dependent on the food tested and mean CV of approximately 20 and 35% were observed for these two sources of variability, respectively. The initial physiological state variability led to a CV of 100% for the parameter K. It appeared that repeating a limited number of three challenge tests with three different batches (or manufacturers) and with different initial physiological states seems often necessary and adequate to accurately assess the variability of the behavior of L. monocytogenes in a specific food produced by a given manufacturer (or for a more general food designation).