Short-chain organic acids at pH 5.0 kill Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. without causing membrane perturbation |
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| Authors: | Christina A. Cherrington M. Hinton G.R. Pearson I. Chopra |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bristol, Langford, Avon;Department of Pathology, University of Bristol, Langford, Avon;Department of Microbiology, University of Bristol, School of Medical Sciences, Bristol, UK |
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| Abstract: | When strains of Escherichia coli K12 and Salmonella spp. were incubated with 0.5–0.7 mol/l formic or propionic acid at pH 5.0, propionic acid was more active than formic acid. It killed 90% of the cell population within 60 min compared with over 3 h for formic acid. Cell death was not associated with a reduction in culture turbidity or a loss of membrane integrity since morphologically normal membranes were observed by electron microscopy and only a small proportion of the cytoplasmic enzyme β-galactosidase leaked into the supernatant fluid of acid-treated E. coli K12 cultures. |
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