Influence of sodium nitrite, temperature, and lactic acid bacteria on the growth of Brochothrix thermosphacta under anaerobic conditions

Abstract

In commercial vacuum-packed bologna, growth of Brochothrix thermosphacta was limited at 5 °C during a 4-week storage period. Factors controlling the growth of this organism were associated in part with certain lactobacilli isolated from the meat. The lactic acid bacteria associated with the decline of B. thermosphacta and overall spoilage of vacuum-packed bologna were isolated and identified. The principal organisms were Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus viridescens, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and certain streptococci. In associated growth experiments with B. thermosphacta at 5 and 15 °C, L. brevis and L. plantarum showed the greatest antagonism towards the Brochothrix species. Studies with changes in incubation temperatures (5 or 15 °C) or nitrite levels (0–50 μg/mL) indicated that these two factors influence the antagonism but were minorcompared with the influence of the lactic acid bacteria.