Nisin, a bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, is used in some types of food preservation due to its inhibitory action on Gram-positive bacteria and their spores. A commonly used agar diffusion bioassay technique for quantification of nisin in food samples was modified to increase its sensitivity, accuracy and precision. Several variables were evaluated. Results showed Micrococcus luteus as the most sensitive organism tested, a lower agar concentration (0 x 75% compared 1 x 5%) increased the sensitivity of the assay (21% improvement over standard method), and incorporation of 1% Na2HPO4 buffer into the bioassay agar made it possible to prevent false inhibitory zones from developing due to the low pH of the test solutions. This resulted in a 57% improvement in accuracy and a 12% improvement in precision compared to the standard method.

The effects of heat (100, 120, and 170 degrees C and pH (4.0, 7.0, and 10.0) on the stability of deoxynivalenol (DON) were measured in an aqueous buffer solution for different periods of time (15, 30, and 60 min). At pH 4.0 DON appeared to be very stable showing no destruction at 100 or 120 degrees C and only partial destruction at 170 degrees C after 60 min. At pH 7.0 DON was still stable but showed more destruction at 170 degrees C after 15 min. At pH 10.0 DON was partially destroyed at 100 degrees C after 60 min and was totally destroyed at 120 degrees C after 30 min and at 170 degrees C after 15 min.

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