Study of kinetic of acidification in particulate food conserves (heart-of-palm)

• Grant number: 07/04531-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2008
• End date: October 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Alfredo de Almeida Vitali
• Grantee: Alfredo de Almeida Vitali
• Host Institution: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Food-safety warranty is important for ready-to-eat food commercialization. Food preservation can be achieved by adequate heat-treatment, use of food-additives or lowering pH. Clostridium botulinum growth can be prevented by lowering pH under 4.6 within short time to inhibit vegetative growth of any existing spores of these bacteria. Time necessary for pH lowering under 4.6 is not known and this lack of information is feared by FDA consultants because acidification time over 20 days can possible botulism toxin formation (Lund & Peck, 2000). In addition, Brazilian heart-of-palm world-wide export has decreased on the last 10 years because of lack of quality and botulism incidents. Acidification kinetics of cultivated heart-of-palm will be evaluated using needle-type metallic electrodes to guarantee microbiological food-safety of heart-of-palm preserves commercialized at room temperature. (AU)