Latest report – growth of spoilage bacilli

Most long–life pasteurised chilled foods are pasteurised for a process of 90°C/10 mins (or equivalent) to ensure safety with respect to the ‘target’ organism psychrotrophic C. botulinum. There is no guidance on the maximum shelf–life such a product may be given and there is limited guidance on other spoilage organisms or foodborne pathogens which may survive.

Recent research has evaluated the potential survival and outgrowth of a range of pyschrotrophic Bacillus species in foods following heat treatment. The report: Effect of heat process, pH, aw and storage temperature on the growth of spoilage bacilli (R&D411) is available on the project web page.