Question

You are trying to control the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in foods, using “multiple hurdle techniques” .

Why do you need to use multiple hurdle techniques to control this bacterium?

What would be your etched to suppress Listria growth in your food?

Answer 1

Hi Answer:

Q, Why do you need to use multiple hurdle techniques to control this bacterium?

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-negative bacteria belongs to the genus Listeria. It is facultatively anaerobic, non-spore forming rods and very much and are common in the natural environment. This bacterium can cause severe, life-threatening infections in pregnant women, new-born babies, the elderly and the immuno-compromised persons have a high risk of infection. We need multiple hurdle techniques to control this pathogen because of the following reasons:

1. L. monocytogenes is ubiquitous in the natural environment and it can be found in soil, water, and vegetation, and is carried by healthy animals.

2. It can be transferred from floors and walls or other environmental surfaces onto equipment where it finds harbourage points and can then be transferred directly to foods.

3. It can survive and grow in refrigerated minimally pasteurized and packaged ready-to-eat products, at temperatures as low as 28F, as well as in low-oxygen conditions.

4. As it is present in raw foods and can be present in cooked foods due to post-processing contamination.

5. It can survive for long time periods on foods and on processing plant surfaces until there is moisture is available.

Q. What would be your etched to suppress Listeria growth in your food?

Answer: As it is clear from above discussion Listeria is present everywhere in the environment and a single step process is not effective to control the contamination so we need multiple hurdle technique means the use of two or more than two conditions simultaneously which stop or inhibit the growth of this bacterium. My strategy to inhibit the growth of this bacteria is the utilization of Nisin under the carbon dioxide reach atmosphere due to which bacteria is unable to survive in the absence of oxygen. In this strategy, nisin will act as the first hurdle in survival process and CO2 will act as the second hurdle.