Recent Research Findings: Research on the Bactericidal Effects of Phenyllactic Acid on Salmonella and STEC on Beef Published

Research funded by the Beef Checkoff and administered by the Foundation was recently published in the Journal of Food Protection.  The abstract follows:

Bactericidal effects of various concentrations of phenyllactic acid on Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, O26:H11, O103:H2, and O121:H19, and on Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 in pure culture and microplates assays were studied. Beef cuts were surface sprayed with phenyllactic acid or lactic acid for inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium. The 1.5% phenyllactic acid inactivated all inoculated E. coli O157:H7, O26:H11, O103:H2, and O121:H19 and Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 (.6-log reduction) within 1 min of contact at 218C, whereas 1.5% lactic acid did not result in microbial reduction. Microplate assays (for STEC and Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 at 10 to 100 CFU per well) indicated that concentrations of 0.25% phenyllactic acid or 0.25% lactic acid inhibited the growth of STEC and Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 incubated at 378C for 24 h. Treatment of beef with 1.5% lactic acid or 1.5% phenyllactic acid reduced E. coli O157:H7 by 0.22 and 0.38 log CFU/cm2, respectively, within 5 min and reduced Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 by 0.12 and 0.86 log CFU/cm2, respectively. When meat treated with 1.5% phenyllactic acid was frozen at _208C, inactivation of E. coli O157 and Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 was enhanced by 1.06 and 1.46 log CFU/cm2, respectively. Thus, treatment of beef with 1.5% phenyllactic acid significantly reduced the population of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.

Zheng R, Zhao T, Hung YC and Adhikari K. Evaluation of Bactericidal Effects of Phenyllactic Acid on Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium on Beef Meat. Journal of Food Protection, 82, 12,  2016–2022.  https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-19-217.