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. 1995 Oct;61(10):3752–3755. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.10.3752-3755.1995

Acid adaptation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 increases survival in acidic foods.

G J Leyer 1, L L Wang 1, E A Johnson 1
PMCID: PMC167674  PMID: 7487011

Abstract

Escherichia coli O157:H7 was adapted to acid by culturing for one to two doublings at pH 5.0. Acid-adapted cells had an increased resistance to lactic acid, survived better than nonadapted cells during a sausage fermentation, and showed enhanced survival in shredded dry salami (pH 5.0) and apple cider (pH 3.4). Acid adaptation is important for the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in acidic foods and should be considered a prerequisite for inocula used in food challenge studies.

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Selected References

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