Wet heat inactivation of lipopolysaccharide from E. coli serotype 055:B5.

Wet heat inactivation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from E. coli Serotype 055:B5 was investigated. The LPS solutions were heated at study temperatures ranging from 78 degrees C to 175 degrees C, and were assayed using the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test. Plots of the log of the amount of endotoxin remaining versus heating time showed biphasic decreases. The initial slopes are associated with a faster rate of decrease to about a 0.5-log unit reduction, and were followed by a slower, linear rate of decline in the secondary slopes. The curves were applied to the biexponential model expressed by the equation (Et = E1e-klt + E2e-k2t). The LPS inactivation rates (k1 and k2) each conformed to their own Arrhenius equation. Therefore, the processes required to achieve the desired level of LPS inactivation can be obtained by mathematical means.