Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris: an increasing threat to the fruit juice industry?

Abstract

The quality of food can be defined in various ways with processors and consumers considering flavour, odour and appearance as well as extended shelf life among the most important of its attributes. Spoilage of food by bacterial contamination may occur at any point during the processing, altering any one, or all, of these characteristics, rendering the product unusable. Alicyclobacillus spp. and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, in particular, are emerging food spoilage organisms in the fruit juice and fruit juice products industry. Spores of the latter are able to survive heat treatments presently used in the industry and their elimination from products may be used as a measure of the effectiveness of any processing protocol to remove potential spoilage. This paper reviews the history, methods of detection, both traditional and rapid and the protocols that may be effective in controlling the growth of the organism and hence spoilage in the finished product.

Effect of sporulation medium on wet-heat resistance and structure of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris DSM 3922-type strain spores and modeling of the inactivation kinetics in apple juice

“…However, spores have been shown to survive in such heat treatments (Splittstoesser et al, 1998) and surviving spores can germinate and grow at pH b 4 in fruit juices, leading to spoilage (Walker and Phillips, 2008). A. acidoterrestris has been detected in several spoiled commercial pasteurized fruit juices like apple, tomato, orange, grapefruit, mango, pear, passion fruit, and white grape juices.…”

UV-C light inactivation and modeling kinetics of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in white grape and apple juices

“…Fruit juices are generally treated at temperatures of about 95°C for 2 min (Komitopoulou et al, 1999). Spores have been shown to survive such heat treatments (Splittstoesser et al, 1998) and surviving spores can germinate and grow at pH b4 in fruit juice, leading to spoilage (Walker and Phillips, 2007). The characteristic spoilage involves the formation of a phenolic or antiseptic odor with or without cloudiness and generally without gas production.…”

Antimicrobial activity of grape seed extract on Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris DSM 3922 vegetative cells and spores in apple juice

“…The detectable concentration of guaiacol in fruit juices reported as 2 ppb can be produced by about 10 4 e10 5 CFU/mL of A. acidoterrestris cells (Bahçeci, G€ okmen, & Acar, 2005;Gocmen, Elston, Williams, Parish, & Rouseff, 2005;Pettipher, Osmundson, & Murphy, 1997). Nowadays, nonthermal methods such as the usage of natural antimicrobials, high hydrostatic pressure, homogenization pressure, microwave, and ultrasound are being tested to control the growth of alicyclobacilli in foods as an alternative to thermal treatments (Bevilacqua, Sinigaglia, & Corbo, 2008;Walker & Phillips, 2008). The use of natural plant extracts as an alternative to chemical or synthetic antimicrobials and antioxidants is an increasing trend in the food industry (Perumalla & Hettiarachchy, 2011).…”