The potential application of supercritical CO2 in microbial inactivation of food raw materials and products

The purpose of this study was to review the possibility of using supercritical CO₂ as a green and sustainable technology for microbial inactivation of raw material for further application in the food industry. The history of the development of supercritical CO₂ microbial inactivation has been widely described in this article. The fundamental scientific part of the process like mechanism of bactericidal action of CO₂ or inactivation of key enzymes were characterized in detail. In summary, this study provides an overview of the latest literature on the use of supercritical carbon dioxide in microbial inactivation of food raw materials and products.

Effect of supercritical carbon dioxide processing on Vibrio parahaemolyticus in nutrient broth and in oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

This study aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility of supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO₂) treatment for Vibrio parahaemolyticus inactivation in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and in nutrient broth. For this purpose, a variable-volume reactor was used as experimental system and a 2³ factorial design was adopted considering the mass ratio between carbon dioxide and the product, pressurization and depressurization rate and pressurization cycles. Through statistical analysis of the experimental data, the mass ratio of 1:0.8 (product:carbon dioxide), depressurization rate of 10.0 MPa/min and one cycle of pressurization was determined as the best process condition to eliminate V. parahaemolyticus, and this was the condition used for the inactivation kinetic analysis. Comparison between the inactivation kinetics of V. parahaemolyticus showed that the behavior of this microorganism inactivation depends on the environment in which it operates and its initial count. The results confirm that the supercritical carbon dioxide is effective in inactivating microorganisms in oysters, including pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus, demonstrating the potential of this technology in the food industry.

Note. Antimicrobial Effect of Pressurized Carbon Dioxide on Yersinia enterocolitica in Broth and Foods

Antimicrobial effect of 15, 30 and 60 atm CO 2 pressures was studied on Yersinia enterocolitica at 25, 35 and 45 °C. Two stages were observed in the destruction curves. The earlier stage was characterized by a slow rate of inactivation in number of Y. enterocolitica, which increased sharply at the later stage. An increase of pressure and/or temperature enhanced the antimicrobial effects of CO 2. The D values of 6.1 and 4.9 min were obtained for Y. enterocolitica at 45 °C under 15 and 30 atm CO 2 pressure, respectively, while only 1.3 min D value was found at 60 atm. A rapid and significant ( p < 0.05) reduction was obtained in the number of Y. enterocolitica at treated pressures and temperatures. Pressure, temperature, exposure time, and the suspending medium influenced the inactivation rates of Y. enterocolitica.

A study on the inactivation of micro-organisms and enzymes by high pressure CO2

This study addresses some microbial inactivation phenomena induced by high pressure CO2 over micro-organisms and enzymes. The activity of four selected enzymes was measured before and after treatment with CO2 under pressure in both buffer solutions and natural cellular environment (E. coli cells and tomato paste). Results are reported for acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, ATPase, and pectinase at different conditions of temperature, CO2 pressure, and treatment time (32-40 degrees C, 85-150 bar, 30-70 min). The results obtained show that the high pressure CO2 treatment induces an inactivation of cellular enzymatic activity higher than the one caused on the same enzymes in solution. However, the measured activity difference is not caused by a damage at the enzymes molecular level but is a consequence of the permeabilization of the cellular envelopes which leads to a release of unmodified enzymes from the cells with simultaneous drop of enzymatic cellular activity. The reported data suggest that the bacterial cell death is probably due not to a selective effect of high pressure CO2 treatment but to simultaneous detrimental action of CO2 on cellular membrane and cell wall.

Low Pressure CO2 Storage of Raw Milk: Microbiological Effects

The effects of holding raw milk under carbon dioxide pressures of 68 to 689 kPa at temperatures of 5, 6.1, 10, and 20 degrees C on the indigenous microbiota were investigated. These pressure-temperature combinations did not cause precipitation of proteins from the milk. Standard plate counts from treated milks demonstrated significantly lower growth rate compared with untreated controls at all temperatures, and in some cases, the treatment was microcidal. Raw milk treated with CO2 and held at 6.1 degrees C for 4 d exhibited reduced bacterial growth rates at pressures of 68, 172, 344, and 516 kPa; and at 689 kPa, demonstrated a significant loss of viability in standard plate count assays. The 689-kPa treatment also reduced gram-negative bacteria and total Lactobacillus spp. The time required for raw milk treated at 689 kPa and held at 4 degrees C to reach 4.30 log10 cfu/mL increased by 4 d compared with untreated controls. Total coliform counts in the treated milk were maintained at 1.95 log10 cfu/mL by d 9 of treatment, whereas counts in the control significantly increased to 2.61 log10 cfu/mL by d 4 and 2.89 log10 cfu/mL by d 9. At d 8, Escherichia coli counts had not significantly changed in treated milk, but significantly increased in the control milk. Thermoduric bacteria counts after 8 d were 1.32 log10 cfu/mL in treated milk and 1.98 log10 cfu/mL in control milk. These data indicated that holding raw milk at low CO2 pressure reduces bacterial growth rates without causing milk protein precipitation. Combining low CO2 pressure and refrigeration would improve the microbiological quality and safety of raw milk and may be an effective strategy for shipping raw single strength or concentrated milk over long distances.

Effects of high-pressure carbon dioxide on Escherichia coli in nutrient broth and milk

Bactericidal effects of high-pressure carbon dioxide against Escherichia coli were studied under 100, 75, 50 and 25 bar at 20 degrees C, 30 degrees C and 40 degrees C. E. coli suspended in nutrient broth (NB, pH = 6.75) was inactivated under 100, 75, 50, and 25 bar CO2 treatments for 50, 65, 100, and 140 min at 30 degrees C, respectively. Acidification of nutrient broth by dissolved CO2 alone might account for the bactericidal effect under pressure. E. coli was inactivated in NB with initial pH 5.50 and 4.5 at 100 bar for 80 and 95 min, respectively. Treatment at 100 bar CO2 pressure for 6 h caused a decrease of 6.42 and 7.24 log cycles in whole and skim milk, respectively.