Tolerance of staphylococcal thermonuclease to stress.

Remarkable tolerance to prolonged heating, prolonged storage, and bacterial proliferation was exhibited by staphylococcal thermonuclease in foods and broth. A purified enzyme preparation added to Brain Heart Infusion broth was unaffected by the growth of five bacterial species. Minimal inactivation was effected by Bacillus subtilis. Optimal growth of Streptococcus faecalis var. liquifaciens caused extensive inactivation of thermonuclease. However, storage at room temperature or the addition of 5% NaCl caused only minimal inactivation.