Growth of pulsed electric field exposed Escherichia coli in relation to inactivation and environmental factors

Advances in pulsed electric stimuli as a physical method for treating liquid foods

There is a need for alternative technologies that can deliver safe and nutritious foods at lower costs as compared to conventional processes. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has been utilised for a plethora of different applications in the life and physical sciences, such as gene/drug delivery in medicine and extraction of bioactive compounds in food science and technology. PEF technology for treating liquid foods involves engineering principles to develop the equipment, and quantitative biochemistry and microbiology techniques to validate the process. There are numerous challenges to address for its application in liquid foods such as the 5-log pathogen reduction target in food safety, maintaining the food quality, and scale up of this physical approach for industrial integration. Here, we present the engineering principles associated with pulsed electric fields, related inactivation models of microorganisms, electroporation and electropermeabilization theory, to increase the quality and safety of liquid foods; including water, milk, beer, wine, fruit juices, cider, and liquid eggs. Ultimately, we discuss the outlook of the field and emphasise research gaps.

Effect of pH on Escherichia coli Removal by Electrocoagulation and Elimination Kinetics after Treatment

There are different techniques for removing microorganisms in wastewater, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Electrocoagulation because of its simplicity has gained great attention and is used for the removal of various ions, organic matters, and microorganisms. In this study, the effectiveness and mechanism of Escherichia coli (E. coli) removal by electrocoagulation process using aluminum and ordinary steel electrodes at different initial-pH and the kinetics of elimination of E. coli in solution after treatment were investigated. Artificial wastewater contaminated by E. coli culture was used in the experiments. The results show that the initial-pH influences significantly the effectiveness of E. coli removal. Under the experimental conditions used, more than 5 log removal of E. coli is obtained, irrespective of the nature of the electrode (ordinary steel or aluminum) and the value of the initial pH. On the one hand, the best rates of elimination are obtained for solutions that are slightly acidic (pH 5.5) and for an alkaline pH (8.5 and 10). On the other hand, the elimination decreases for a neutral solution and for a very acidic solution (pH 2.9) because of the strong resistance developed by E. coli at those pH values. For optimal treatment, the choice of electrode material depends on the initial pH. Furthermore, the study of the kinetics of elimination of E. coli after treatment shows the remanent power of the electrocoagulation process. It allows reducing treatment time and energy consumption, thus reducing the cost of treatment.

Characterization of damage on Listeria innocua surviving to pulsed light: Effect on growth, DNA and proteome

The effect of pulsed light treatment on the lag phase and the maximum specific growth rate of Listeria innocua was determined in culture media at 7 °C. Fluences of 0.175, 0.350 and 0.525 J/cm² were tested. The lag phase of the survivors increased as fluence did, showing significant differences for all the doses; an 8.7-fold increase was observed at 0.525 J/cm². Pulsed light decreased the maximum specific growth rate by 38% at the same fluence. Both parameters were also determined by time-lapse microscopy at 25 °C in survivors to 0.525 J/cm², with an increase of 13-fold of the lag phase and a 45% decrease of the maximum specific growth rate. The higher the fluence, the higher the variability of both parameters was. To characterize pulsed light damage on L. innocua, the formation of dimers on DNA was assessed, and a proteomic study was undertaken. In cells treated with 0.525 J/cm², cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts were detected at 5:1 ratio. Pulsed light induced the expression of three proteins, among them the general stress protein Ctc. Furthermore, treated cells showed an up-regulation of proteins related to metabolism of nucleotides and fatty acids, as well as with translation processes, whereas flagellin and some glucose metabolism proteins were down-regulated. Differences in the proteome of the survivors could contribute to explain the mechanisms of adaptation of L. innocua after pulsed light treatment.

Modular Serial Flow Through device for pulsed electric field treatment of the liquid samples

In biotechnology, medicine, and food processing, simple and reliable methods for cell membrane permeabilization are required for drug/gene delivery into the cells or for the inactivation of undesired microorganisms. Pulsed electric field treatment is among the most promising methods enabling both aims. The drawback in current technology is controllable large volume operation. To address this challenge, we have developed an experimental setup for flow through electroporation with online regulation of the flow rate with feedback control. We have designed a modular serial flow-through co-linear chamber with a smooth inner surface, the uniform cross-section geometry through the majority of the system’s length, and the mesh in contact with the electrodes, which provides uniform electric field distribution and fluid velocity equilibration. The cylindrical cross-section of the chamber prevents arching at the active treatment region. We used mathematical modeling for the evaluation of electric field distribution and the flow profile in the active region. The system was tested for the inactivation of Escherichia coli. We compared two flow-through chambers and used a static chamber as a reference. The experiments were performed under identical experimental condition (product and similar process parameters). The data were analyzed in terms of inactivation efficiency and specific energy consumption.

Effect of heat-assisted pulsed electric fields and bacteriophage on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7

Pulsed electric fields (PEF), heat-assisted PEF (H-PEF), and virulent bacteriophage (VP) are non-thermal techniques for pathogen inactivation in liquids that were investigated individually, and in combination (PEF/VP, H-PEF/VP) to control enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 in Luria-Bertani broth (LBB) and Ringer's solution (RS). Treated cells were subsequently incubated at refrigeration (4°C) and temperature-abuse conditions (12°C) for 5 days. When EHEC cells grown in LBB were subjected to non-thermal processing and subsequently stored at 12°C for 5 days, reductions in count of between 0.1 and 0.6 log cycles were observed and following storage at 4°C the decrease in counts varied between 0.2 and 1.1 log10 . For bacteria cells suspended in RS values ranged from 0.1 to ≥3.9 log cycles at both storage temperatures. The most effective treatments were H-PEF and H-PEF/VP, both producing a >3.4 log cycle reduction of cells suspended in non-nutrient RS. Analysis of EHEC recovery on selective and non-selective media indicated no occurrence of sub-lethal damage for VP, PEF/VP, and H-PEF/VP-treated cells. The findings indicate that combining PEF and lytic phage may represent a suitable alternative to conventional fluid decontamination following further process optimization.

Pulsed electric fields cause sublethal injuries in the outer membrane of Enterobacter sakazakii facilitating the antimicrobial activity of citral

AIMS

The objective was to evaluate the relation of sublethal injury in the outer membrane of Enterobacter sakazakii to the inactivating effect of the combination of pulsed electric fields (PEF) treatments and citral.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The occurrence of sublethal injury in the outer membrane was measured using selective recovery media containing bile salts. Loss of membrane integrity was measured by the increased uptake of the fluorescent dye propidium iodide (PI). PEF caused nonpermanent and permanent envelope permeabilization of Ent. sakazakii at pH 4·0. After PEF, most surviving cells showed transient cell permeabilization and sublethal injury in their outer membranes. The simultaneous application of a mild PEF treatment (100 pulses, 25 kV cm(-1) ) and 200 μl l(-1) of citral to cells suspended in pH 4·0 buffer at a final concentration of 10(7) cells per ml showed an outstanding synergistic lethal effect, causing the inactivation of more than two extra log(10) cycles.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm that the detection of sublethal injury in the outer membrane after PEF may contribute to the identification of the treatment conditions under which PEF may act synergistically with hydrophobic compounds such as citral.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Knowledge about the mechanism of microbial inactivation by PEF will aid the establishment of successful combined preservation treatments.

Effect of low-voltage static electric field on growth of Esoherichia coli

AIM: To study the influence of static electric field with different intensities on the growth of Esoherichia coli.

METHODS: The static electric field of 3 and 24 volt were used upon the big tubes (Ф = 30 mm) in which E. coli were cultured. The optical density and bacterial colony numbers were measured during the growth process of E. coli. Meanwhile, the morphology of E. coli under the action of 24-volt static electric field was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) comparatively analyzed with the control group.

RESULTS: The growth of E. coli obviously restrained during the prophase of culturing under the experiment conditions. Stable growth period of E. coli was advanced 2 and 4 hours under the action of static electric fields of 3 and 24 volt, respectively. E. coli appeared the second logarithm growth period 6-8 h after the first stable period started. That was the growth remediation of bacteria. And in the experimental conditions, the intensity of static electric field was in inverse relation with the restoring speed of E. coli. In addition, the morphological distortion of E. coli was found under the SEM.

CONCLUSION: The external low-voltage static electric field has inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli.

Biosynthetic requirements for the repair of sublethal membrane damage in Escherichia coli cells after pulsed electric fields

AIMS

The aim was to evaluate the biosynthetic requirements for the repair of sublethal membrane damages in Escherichia coli cells after exposure to pulsed electric fields (PEF).

METHODS AND RESULTS

The partial loss of the barrier and homeostatic functions of the cytoplasmic membrane was examined by adding sodium chloride to the recovery media. More than 4 log10 cycles of survivors were sublethally injured after PEF. Repair of such sublethal membrane damages occurred when survivors to PEF were incubated in peptone water for 2 h. Two different types of sublethally injured cells were detected. Whereas a small proportion (<5%) repaired after PEF in less than 2 min, the repair of the remaining 95% injured cells lasted 2 h and was dependent on biosynthetic requirements. The addition of inhibitors such as chloramphenicol, cerulenin, penicillin G, rifampicin and sodium azide to the liquid repair medium showed that the repair required energy and lipid synthesis, and was not dependent on protein, peptidoglican or RNA synthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Cell survival after PEF is dependent on the repair of the cytoplasmic membrane. Requirement of lipid synthesis for the repair of sublethally injured cells confirms that the cytoplasmic membrane is a target directly involved in the mechanism of inactivation by PEF.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Knowledge about the damages inflicted by PEF might help in the design of more efficient treatments.

Occurrence of sublethal injury after pulsed electric fields depending on the micro-organism, the treatment medium ph and the intensity of the treatment investigated

AIMS

The objective was to investigate the occurrence of sublethal injury after pulsed electric field (PEF) depending on the treatment time, the electric field strength and the pH of the treatment media in two Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis ssp. niger, Listeria monocytogenes) and six Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella serotype Senftenberg 775W, Salmonella serotype Typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica) bacterial strains.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A characteristic behaviour was observed for the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria studied. Whereas Gram-positive bacteria showed a higher PEF resistance at pH 7.0, the Gram-negative were more resistant at pH 4.0. In these conditions, in which bacteria showed their maximum resistance, a large proportion of sublethally injured cells were detected. In most cases, the longer the treatment time and the higher the electric field applied, the greater the proportion of sublethally injured cells that were detected. No sublethal injury was detected when Gram-positive bacteria were treated at pH 4.0 and Gram-negative at pH 7.0.

CONCLUSIONS

Sublethal injury was detected after PEF so, bacterial inactivation by PEF is not an 'all or nothing' event.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This work could be useful for improving food preservation by PEF.