Modelling the growth of lactic acid bacteria at different temperatures

Abstract

Mathematical models are widely used to predict the shelf life of foods. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), particularly Lactobacillus plantarum, Weissella viridescens and Lactobacillus sakei, are the main spoilage bacteria of refrigerated, vacuum-packed meat products, stored in modified atmosphere, and their growth determines the shelf life length of these products. The objective of this study was to model the growth of L. plantarum, W. viridescens and L. sakei under different isothermal cultivation conditions and establish secondary models to describe the effect of temperature on the growth parameters of these bacteria. The LAB growth was evaluated in culture medium at temperatures of 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 30 °C. The fit of Baranyi and Roberts (BAR) and Gompertz (GO) primary models to the growth curves of LAB was compared by statistical indices, in which the BAR model showed slightly better fits to the experimental data. The BAR growth parameters were used to establish the secondary models, μmax and Nmax were established for the three LAB. The power model described the influence of temperature on the parameter λ for L. plantarum, and other bacteria showed no lag phase. The growth of LAB was strongly influenced by storage temperature and the obtained models allow predicting the growth of these bacteria within the temperature range from 4 to 30 °C.