Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meats.

Five individual strains of Listeria monocytogenes and a mixed cocktail of all five were studied for attachment on frankfurters, ham, bologna, and roast beef relative to their cell surface characteristics. The ratio of strongly attached (sessile) L. monocytogenes cells compared with total (sessile and planktonic) attached cells on ready-to-eat meats was also determined. Because bacterial cell surfaces were characterized by net negative charge and hydrophobicity, electrostatic interaction chromatography and cationized ferritin methods were chosen to study net negative charge distribution on the bacterial cell surface, whereas hydrophobic interaction chromatography and contact angle measurement were used to examine the cell surface hydrophobicity. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed in cell surface charge or cell surface hydrophobicity among strains. Approximately 84 to 87% L. monocytogenes were found to attach strongly to ready-to-eat meats within 5 min. No differences (P > 0.05) were found among strains or among meats. Micrographs observed from scanning electron microscopy showed no differences among the strains but showed a difference in age of cells (mixed culture) in terms of surface negative charge distribution. More surface negatively charged sites were observed at 0 and 7 days and much fewer at 3 days during storage of washed, harvested cells in buffer at 4 degrees C (aged cells under cold and nutrient deprivation), indicating a possible change in cell surface properties. Because no difference in strains was observed, the contact angle measurement study was carried out with the five-strain mixed culture. The surface hydrophobicity increased in frankfurters, decreased in roast beef, and was unchanged in ham and bologna as a result of inoculation.