Combination of hydrostatic pressure and lacticin 3147 causes increased killing of Staphylococcus and Listeria.

The use of hydrostatic pressure and lacticin 3147 treatments were evaluated in milk and whey with a view to combining both treatments for improving the quality of minimally processed dairy foods. The system was evaluated using two foodborne pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 and Listeria innocua DPC1770. Trials against Staph. aureus ATCC6538 were performed using concentrated lacticin 3147 prepared from culture supernatant. The results demonstrated a more than additive effect when both treatments were used in combination. For example, the combination of 250 MPa (2.2 log reduction) and lacticin 3147 (1 log reduction) resulted in more than 6 logs of kill. Similar results were obtained when a foodgrade powdered form of lacticin 3147 (developed from a spray dried fermentatation of reconstituted demineralized whey powder) was evaluated for the inactivation of L. innocua DPC1770. Furthermore, it was observed that treatment of lacticin 3147 preparations with pressures greater than 400 MPa yielded an increase in bacteriocin activity (equivalent to a doubling of activity). These results indicate that a combination of high pressure and lacticin 3147 may be suitable for improving the quality of minimally processed foods at lower hydrostatic pressure levels.