Inhibition of Clostridium perfringens spore germination and outgrowth in ground turkey roast containing minimal ingredients (salt and sugar), by buffered vinegar (MOstatin V) and a blend (buffered) of lemon juice concentrate and vinegar (MOstatin LV) was evaluated. Ground turkey roast was formulated to contain sea salt (1.5%), turbinado sugar (0.5%), and various concentrations of MOstatin V (0.75, 1.25, or 2.5%) or MOstatin LV (1.5, 2.5, or 3.5%), along with a control (without MOstatins). The product was inoculated with a three-strain spore cocktail of C. perfringens to obtain initial spore levels of ca. 2.0 to 0.5 log CFU/g. Inoculated products were vacuum packaged, heat shocked for 20 min at 75 degrees C, and cooled exponentially from 54.4 to 4.0 degrees C in 6.5, 9, 12, 15, 18, or 21 h. In control samples without MOstatin V or MOstatin LV, C. perfringens populations reached 2.98, 4.50, 5.78, 7.05, 7.88, and 8.19 log CFU/g (corresponding increases of 0.51, 2.29, 3.51, 4.79, 5.55, and 5.93 log CFU/g) in 6.5, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 h of chilling, respectively. MOstatin V (2.5%) and MOstatin LV (3.5%) were effective in inhibiting C. perfringens spore germination and outgrowth in ground turkey roast to <1.0 log CFU/g during abusive chilling of the product within 21 h. Buffered vinegar and a blend (buffered) of lemon juice concentrate and vinegar were effective in controlling germination and outgrowth of C. perfringens spores in turkey roast containing minimal ingredients.
