Concept explainers
To determine: The organisms that cause flat sour spoilage.
Introduction: The spoilage of canned foods is caused by the action of heat-resistant, endospore-forming bacteria. They are capable to grow and produce toxins in the canned foods without any typical signs of spoilage. Flat sour, stinker spoilage, and thermophilic anaerobe (T.A.) spoilage are the most common types of food spoilage.
Explanation of Solution
The occurrence of fermentation of canned food products caused by the thermoduric microbes that survive the canning process is referred to as flat sour spoilage. The flat sour is characterized by the formation of acids with no gas production. This results in cans containing sour food with flat ends.
The major concern in the canned foods is the two genera of endospore-forming bacteria, namely, Bacillus and Clostridium. Thus, flat sour spoilage is often caused by the organism Geobacillus stearothermophilus. This is the typical microbe that causes flat sour spoilage in low-acid foods.
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Chapter 48 Solutions
BENSON'S MICROBIO.APPL.:LAB..,CONC.