Determination of thermal inactivation kinetics of microorganisms with a continuous microflow apparatus.

Use of a continuous microflow submerged microcoil (CSMC) apparatus was compared with the capillary tube (CT) method for measuring the thermal inactivation kinetics of Pseudomonas fluorescens at 61 degrees C for 3 to 29 s. Inocula were continuously pumped through a microbore (< or = 0.0762 cm inside diameter) thin-walled stainless steel capillary tube submerged in a heated oil bath. The heating time was set by changing the flow rate, tube dimensions, or both. With the use of microthermo-couples, the time for the inocula to reach within 1 degree C of the set temperature was <3 s, and shorter than that with capillary tubes or vials. Inactivation curves (61 degrees C) for P. fluorescens prepared by the CSMC method were not different from curves prepared by the CT method, as determined by analysis of variance (P > 0.05). Inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores (105 degrees C) and native microflora found in raw milk (72 degrees C) over heating times of 3 to 42 s were determined by CSMC. CSMC can measure thermal inactivation kinetics of microorganisms efficiently and simply at high temperatures and in short times. Survivors can be enumerated in 1-ml volumes of heat-treated samples, making it useful for determining inactivation kinetics of low numbers of microorganisms, such as those found in high-quality raw milk. Inactivation kinetics were generally more accurately described by the Weibull function (R2 > or = 0.97) than the linear kinetic model.