Stress Tolerance in C. Botulinum and Growth in New Generation Foods

Clostridium botulinum produces the most poisonous toxin known to humankind, and is well known to cause the foodborne disease of botulism. The organism is extremely important in food safety because it forms heat resistant spores that can withstand food processing methods such as heat and is resistant to many food preservatives. The inactivation of the organism by food processing procedures may be influenced by the pathogens abilities to adapt to stresses that occur in foods and food processing plants. Also, some strains of C. botulinum can grow under refrigerated conditions, but the mechanisms by which it withstands cold temperatures is not understood. The problem of stress adaptation and its impact on growth and survival of C.botulinum in foods will be addressed in this project. The purpose of this study is to understand the mechanisms by which the foodborne pathogen C. botulinum adapts to stresses that occur in food processing and are used in food preservation. An understanding of the means by which C. botulinum tolerates environmental stresses and grows under refrigerated conditions should provide a fundamental basis for the design of improved preservation systems to increase the safety of minimally-processed and refrigerated foods.