Herb Of The Week - Oregano - E. Coli Study

April 21, 2005

Below is a link to an interesting study:

Abstract:

Homemade eggplant salad, a traditional Greek appetizer, was inoculated

with Escherichia coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900 supplemented with different

concentrations of oregano essential oil (0.0, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.1%

[vol/wt]) and stored at different temperatures (0, 5, 10, and 15°C). The

product's pH was adjusted to 4.0, 4.5, or 5.0 with lemon juice. For each

combination of the environmental factors, the bacterial counts were

modeled, using the Baranyi model, as a function of time to estimate the

kinetic parameters of the pathogen. A reduction of more than 1 log unit

in E. coli O157:H7 counts was observed in all cases, and the death rate

depended on the pH, the storage temperature, and the essential oil

concentration. Separate quadratic models were developed with natural

logarithms of the shoulder period and death rate as estimated by the

growth model, as a function of temperature, pH, and oregano essential

oil concentrations. These were further used to predict the population of

E. coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900 from other inoculated eggplant salads at

random conditions of temperature, pH, and oregano oil concentration. The

predicted values were compared with viable-count measurements for valid

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

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