Modelling spore former growth and inactivation

Determine the best processing conditions to inactivate spores of Bacillus and Clostridium and prevent outgrowth in finished products

When developing a new product or adapting an existing one, you may be opening the door to heat-resistant spores that survive processing and grow in your product. Two of the most common are Bacillus and Clostridium, presenting risks that run from unexpected spoilage issues, to foodborne illness, or even death. Some spore-formers produce dangerous toxins in foods that may remain even after the microbe itself has been eliminated. To control the risks, you need to assess the potential outgrowth of these spore-formers, under various storage conditions, throughout your product development.

Designing safety into your products and processes

At NIZO, we can help you evaluate the risk of spore survival, growth and toxin-production in your finished product, through predictive models of both spore inactivation and growth of different species. Spore presence, inactivation, outgrowth and toxin production are impacted by a combination of your starting material – ingredients, components and formulations – and processing conditions. In addition, our bacterial culture collection includes toxin-producing strains that grow at different temperatures. In controlled contamination settings, we can assess bacterial outgrowth in various production and storage conditions, including refrigeration. Based on modelling and experimental assessment, we can provide you with key, fact-based insight for designing safer processes and products, and support you to define the best screening and control strategies – before any product comes off the line.

NIZO can:

• Scan and assess the impact of raw materials and potential processing conditions
• Model and assess spore inactivation in your product during processing
• Model potential outgrowth and toxin production of spore-formers in your product, and assess the risk
• Provide knowledge-based advice on formulations and processes to minimise risk
• Provide knowledge-based insight into optimal storage and chain conditions