Department of Food Science

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Browsing Department of Food Science by Subject "Alicyclobacilli"

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    Identification of precursors present in fruit juice that lead to the production of guaiacol by Alicyclobacillus Acidoterrestris
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Van der Merwe, Enette; Witthuhn, R. C.; Venter, P.; Cameron, M.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Food Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Alicyclobacilli are endospore-forming, thermophilic, acidophilic bacteria (TAB) that survive the pasteurisation process and spoil acidic fruit juices through the production of the taint compound guaiacol. Guaiacol causes an undesirable odour with an unpleasant smoky, medicinal or phenolic-like taste. This thesis reports on the precursors, vanillin and vanillic acid metabolised to guaiacol by Alicyclobacillus spp. in fruit juice, the pathway of guaiacol production and the spoilage potential of contaminated fruit juices supplemented with these precursors. A high performance liquid chromatography method with UV-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed for the simultaneous detection and quantification of guaiacol and its precursors. Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris FB2 was incubated at 45 °C for 7 d in Bacillus acidoterrestris (BAT) broth supplemented with ferulic acid, vanillin or vanillic acid. The cell concentrations were determined every 24 h and the concentration of the precursors and the production of guaiacol was determined using HPLC-DAD. The guaiacol production was also determined using the peroxidase enzyme colourimetric assay (PECA). Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris produced guaiacol from vanillin and vanillic acid, confirming both vanillin and vanillic acid as precursors for guaiacol production by A. acidoterrestris FB2. Furthermore, a metabolic pathway directly from vanillin to guaiacol was identified in this study. However, guaiacol was not produced by A. acidoterrestris FB2 in the samples supplemented with ferulic acid and it is, therefore, not considered a direct precursor for guaiacol production by A. acidoterrestris. The spoilage potential of apple juice supplemented with either 10 mg L-1 or 100 mg L-1 vanillin or vanillic acid by A. acidoterrestris FB2 (106 cfu mL-1) was also evaluated. The production of guaiacol increased with the increase in vanillin or vanillic acid concentrations (in BAT broth and apple juice) indicating that the concentration of vanillin and vanillic acid present in fruit juice will influence the spoilage potential of the juice. Guaiacol concentrations in apple juice well above the best estimated threshold value of guaiacol for taste (0.24 – 2.00 μg L-1) and odour (0.50 - 2.32 μg L-1) was produced by A. acidoterrestris FB2 in the apple juice supplemented with 10 mg L-1 vanillin or vanillic acid. This indicates that fruit juice with a vanillin or vanillic acid concentration as low as 10 mg L-1 has the potential to spoil if the juice is contaminated with A. acidoterrestris. The concentrations of vanillin and vanillic acid in different fruit juices can be used to indicate if a specific fruit juice is susceptible to guaiacol spoilage by Alicyclobacillus spp. In the development of juice products and different blends of fruit juices, special care must be taken not to concentrate the amount of vanillin and vanillic acid present in the fruit juices.