Thermal Inactivation of Sodium-Habituated Staphylococcus aureus in Ready-to-Heat Sauces

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium habituation on thermal resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in various ready-to-heat (RTH) sauces. The strain mixture of S. aureus strains KACC10768, KACC10778, KACC11596, KACC13236 and NCCP10862 was habituated up to 9% of NaCl. The inocula of NaCl-habituated and nonhabituated S. aureus were inoculated in 5 g portions of pork cutlet, meat and Carbonara sauces at 7 Log CFU/g, and the samples were vortexed vigorously. The inoculated samples were then exposed to 60 and 70 o C in a water-bath, and survivals of total bacteria and S. aureus were enumerated on tryptic soy agar and mannitol salt agar, respectively, every 30 min for 120 min. At 60 o C, the cell counts of total bacteria and the significant difference in survivals between sodium-habituated and non-habituated S. aureus were observed only in the Carbonara sauce; the tailing effect, which is the period of no reduction of bacterial cell counts, was observed in pork cutlet, meat and Carbonara sauces subjected to 60 o C. At 70 o C, total bacterial populations and sodium-habituated and non-habituated S. aureus cell counts in meat and Carbonara sauce also significantly decreased (p<0.05) after 30 min of heat treatment, followed by the obvious tailing effect. Sodium-habituated S. aureus cell counts in meat and Carbonara sauces were higher (p<0.05) than those of non-habituated S. aureus at 70 o C. The results indicate that sodium habituation of S. aureus cells may increase the thermal resistance of the pathogen in RTH sauces; moreover, heating RTH sauces for a short time before serving may not sufficiently decrease the cell counts of S. aureus, particularly for sodium-habituated strain.