Survival of foodborne pathogens in grain products and the effect of catechins.

We investigated the survival of bacterial pathogens in grain products. Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus survived for more than 3 weeks in grain flakes. Although S. Enteritidis in grain flakes reached a level of less than 10(2) CFU/g, the surviving organisms grew rapidly in milk and reached 10(9) CFU/g after 25-hr incubation. When catechins were present on the grain flakes, the numbers of S. Enteritidis and S. aureus were significantly decreased. In addition, catechins reduced the survival and growth of S. Enteritidis, S. aureus and Bacillus cereus when added to cooked grain products. This study indicates that S. Enteritidis, S. aureus and Bacillus can survive for a long time in grain products and that catechins impair their survival and growth.