Effects of carbon dioxide and oxygen on the growth rate of various food spoilage bacteria.

The growth of six bacterial species (Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, Bacillus weihenstephanensis, Bacillus cereus, Paenibacillus spp., Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Pseudomonas fragi) was studied in various gas compositions. Growth curves were obtained at various oxygen concentrations (between 0.

Modelling the effect of oxygen concentration on bacterial growth rates.

Predicting the microbial safety of food products stored in modified atmosphere packaging implies taking into account the effect of oxygen reduction on microbial growth. According to their respiratory-type, the micro-organisms are not impacted similarly by the oxygen concentration. The aim of this article was to quantify and model the oxygen effect on the growth rates of 5 bacterial species: Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus weihenstephanensis (facultative anaerobic), Pseudomonas fluorescens (strict aerobic), Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium sporogenes (strict anaerobic).