Effects of culture conditions on the subsequent heat inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 in apple juice

Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells were grown in various acidic growth media including an acidogenic nutrient broth (NB) supplemented with 1% glucose (NBG) and NB acidified to pH 4.5 with 0.25% citric or malic acids. The pH in NBG continuously decreased, reaching a final pH of 4.46 after 28 h. The pH in the control culture (NB) did not significantly change throughout the incubation. When heated in apple juice at 55 °C, cells grown in NBG had the significantly highest D55 value (250 ± 39.67 s). Thermal inactivation rates established for cells grown in NB, citric acid- and malic acid-acidified NBs were 51.39 ± 1.34, 25.46 ± 1.21, and 45.42 ± 0.36 s, respectively. When compared with the D55 values of cells previously exposed to combinations of environmental stress factors, cells grown in NBG were also found to be significantly heat resistant and were deemed appropriate to be used in heat challenge studies.