Skip to main content
PMC home page
Applied Microbiology logoLink to Applied Microbiology
. 1972 Sep;24(3):453–462. doi: 10.1128/am.24.3.453-462.1972

Radiation Sterilization of Prototype Military Foods: Low-Temperature Irradiation of Codfish Cake, Corned Beef, and Pork Sausage 1

Abe Anellis 1, D Berkowitz 1, W Swantak 1, C Strojan 1
PMCID: PMC376541  PMID: 4562483

Abstract

“Screening” packs comprising 10 lots each of codfish cake, corned beef, and pork sausage, each lot containing about 106 spores of a different strain (five type A and five type B) of Clostridium botulinum per can, were irradiated at −30 ± 10 C with a series of increasing doses (20 replicate cans/dose) of 60Co gamma rays. The cans were incubated for 3 months at 30 C and examined for swelling, toxin, and recoverable botulinal cells. Based on the latter criterion of spoilage, median lethal dose (LD50) and D values were estimated for each strain in each food. The most resistant strain in codfish cake, corned beef, and pork sausage was, respectively, 53B, 77A, and 41B. There was no clear-cut trend in the comparative order of resistance between the two antigenic types among the three foods. LD50 values gave essentially the same order of resistances as the D values and may be used interchangeably with the latter for the 10 test organisms. “Clearance” packs consisting of the most resistant strain (about 107 spores/can) with its respective food were irradiated with a variety of doses at −30 ± 10 C, using 100 replicate cans/dose (about 109 spores/dose). These packs were incubated for 6 months at 30 C and assayed for the three types of spoilage. Based on recoverable cells, the experimental sterilizing doses (ESD) for codfish cake, corned beef, and pork sausage were 2.5< ESD ≤ 3.0, 2.0 < ESD ≤ 2.5, and 1.5 < ESD ≤ 2.0 Mrad, in that order. Assuming exponential spore death, the 12D values, or minimal radiation doses (MRD), were 3.24, 2.44, and 2.65 Mrad, respectively. Estimation of the MRD values by a method which assumes that spore death in the cans follows a normal distribution, yielded 3.09, 2.57, and 2.39 Mrad, respectively. Weibull analyis of the pooled 10-strain viable cell spoilage data of the screening packs for codfish cake or corned beef suggested that spore death in the cans follows a normal distribution yielded 3.09, 2.57, pooled data were not amenable to such analysis. Sublethal doses (0.5, 0.75 Mrad) increased the visible spoilage rate of corned beef over that of unirradiated controls. Apparently radiation-injured spores of C. botulinum were sensitized to the presence of food additives such as curing salts, NaCl, and spices.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANELLIS A., GRECZ N., HUBER D. A., BERKOWITZ D., SCHNEIDER M. D., SIMON M. RADIATION STERILIZATION OF BACON FOR MILITARY FEEDING. Appl Microbiol. 1965 Jan;13:37–42. doi: 10.1128/am.13.1.37-42.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anellis A., Berkowitz D., Jarboe C., el Bisi H. M. Radiation sterilization of prototype military foods. II. Cured ham. Appl Microbiol. 1967 Jan;15(1):166–177. doi: 10.1128/am.15.1.166-177.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Anellis A., Berkowitz D., Jarboe C., el-Bisi H. M. Radiation sterilization of prototype military foods. 3. Pork loin. Appl Microbiol. 1969 Oct;18(4):604–611. doi: 10.1128/am.18.4.604-611.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Anellis A., Werkowski S. Estimation of an equivalent "12D" process by the normal distribution method. Can J Microbiol. 1971 Sep;17(9):1185–1187. doi: 10.1139/m71-189. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Anellis A., Werkowski S. Estimation of radiation resistance values of microorganisms in food products. Appl Microbiol. 1968 Sep;16(9):1300–1308. doi: 10.1128/am.16.9.1300-1308.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brasch A., Huber W. Ultrashort Application Time of Penetrating Electrons: A Tool for Sterilization and Preservation of Food in the Raw State. Science. 1947 Jan 31;105(2718):112–117. doi: 10.1126/science.105.2718.112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. COLEBY B. The effects of irradiation on the quality of meat and poultry. Int J Appl Radiat Isot. 1959 Oct;6:115–121. doi: 10.1016/0020-708x(59)90103-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GRECZ N., SNYDER O. P., WALKER A. A., ANELLIS A. EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE OF LIQUID NITROGEN ON RADIATION RESISTANCE OF SPORES OF CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM. Appl Microbiol. 1965 Jul;13:527–536. doi: 10.1128/am.13.4.527-536.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Grecz N., Upadhyay J. Radiation survival of bacterial spores in neutral and acid ice. Can J Microbiol. 1970 Nov;16(11):1045–1049. doi: 10.1139/m70-177. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grecz N., Walker A. A., Anellis A., Berkowitz D. Effect of irradiation temperature in the range--196 to 95C on the resistance of spores of Clostridium botulinum 33A in cooked beef. Can J Microbiol. 1971 Feb;17(2):135–142. doi: 10.1139/m71-024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LEWIS J. C. The estimation of decimal reduction times. Appl Microbiol. 1956 Jul;4(4):211–221. doi: 10.1128/am.4.4.211-221.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Suchanek G., Miura T., Grecz N. Role of O2 and N2 in thermorestoration of hdrated bacterial spores. Radiat Res. 1969 Oct;40(1):222–232. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Upadhyay J., Grecz N. Radiation survival of bacterial spores in neutral and alkaline ice. Can J Microbiol. 1969 Dec;15(12):1419–1425. doi: 10.1139/m69-255. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. VAS K. A method for the evaluation of the quantal response of microbial cultures to chemical and physical agents. Acta Microbiol Acad Sci Hung. 1957;4(4):433–436. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES