Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in wiener exudates in the presence of Pediococcus acidilactici H or pediocin AcH during storage at 4 or 25 degrees C.

Exudative fluids were collected from packages of five brands of all-beef wieners and inoculated to contain 10(4) to 10(5) CFU of a three-strain (Scott A, V7, and 101M) mixture of Listeria monocytogenes per ml. Listeriae were inactivated (decrease of 0.61 to 3.8 log10 CFU/ml) in all five exudates held at 4 degrees C for 29 days. L. monocytogenes grew (increase of 1.7 to 3.6 log10 CFU/ml) in two of five exudates held at 25 degrees C for 6 days. Exudate was inoculated with a derivative of Pediococcus acidilactici H (designated JBL1095) or treated with pediocin AcH (a bacteriocin) as a novel approach to control the growth of L. monocytogenes in wiener exudates. Initially, pediocin AcH caused rapid death (decrease of 0.74 log10 CFU/ml in 2 h) of L. monocytogenes in exudate held at 4 degrees C, but thereafter the inactivation was similar to that in control exudate (L. monocytogenes only) or exudate containing L. monocytogenes plus JBL1095. At 25 degrees C, L. monocytogenes grew in the presence of JBL1095 during the first 64 h of incubation, but thereafter the numbers of the pathogen decreased appreciably (5.84 log10 CFU/ml in 3 days). In the presence of pediocin AcH, there was a gradual decrease in numbers of L. monocytogenes throughout the storage period at 25 degrees C. These data indicate that added biopreservatives can potentiate and amplify the intrinsic listeriostatic or listericidal activity of wiener exudate.