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Influence of Superheated Steam Temperature and Moisture Exchange on the Inactivation of Geobacillus stearothermophilus Spores in Wheat Flour-Coated Surfaces

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Abstract

Sanitation in dry food processing environments is a major challenge for the industry. The influence of superheated steam (SH) temperatures (125 to 250 °C) on the inactivation of spores on selected coupon surfaces (stainless steel, rubber, and concrete) coated with wheat flour as a model food soil residue was investigated using a bench scale superheating apparatus. Wheat flour inoculated with Geobacillus stearothermophilus (7.62 ± 0.12 log CFU/g) coated on the coupon surfaces served as the model food residue. Among the surfaces tested, temperature of concrete increased faster [time constant (τ) < 89.0 s] than that of stainless steel (τ < 173.6 s). As a consequence, wheat flour coated on concrete dehydrated faster [moisture diffusivity (Dm) > 1.17 × 10−4 mm2/s] than those on the stainless steel (Dm > 0.76 × 10−4 mm2/s). Hence, Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores suspended on stainless steel were inactivated faster than that of concrete and rubber (p < 0.05). The time required for a 5-log reduction at 250 °C were 180 s and 240 s, on stainless steel and concrete surfaces, respectively. A mathematical model that considered surface temperature, food residue moisture content, and SH inversion temperature adequately described spore inactivation during SH treatment.

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Data Availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

Abbreviations

B f :

Bias factor

D m :

Moisture diffusivity (mm2/s)

D ref :

D Value at a reference condition (s)

L :

Thickness (mm)

M :

Moisture content (% d.b.)

M cond :

Moisture content after initial condensation (% d.b.)

M eq :

Equilibrium moisture content (% d.b.)

M i :

Initial moisture content (% d.b.)

MR :

Moisture ratio

M ref :

Reference moisture content (% d.b.)

N :

Surviving microbial count (CFU/g)

N 0 :

Initial microbial count (CFU/g)

N m :

Estimated microbial count (CFU/g)

n :

Number of data points

p :

Number of parameters

RH :

Relative humidity of superheated steam (%)

RH ref :

Reference relative humidity (%)

RSME:

Root mean square error

T :

Temperature (°C)

t :

Total treatment time (s)

t cond :

Condensation time (s)

T iv :

Inversion temperature (°C)

T ref :

Reference temperature (°C)

T SH :

Superheated steam temperature (°C)

\({z}_{T}\) :

Temperature sensitivity of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spore (°C)

\({z}_{M}\) :

Moisture content sensitivity of G. stearothermophilus spore (% d.b.)

\({z}_{RH}\) :

Relative humidity sensitivity of G. stearothermophilus spore (%)

α :

A constant for initial condensation during superheated steam treatment

β :

A constant for drying during superheated steam treatment

τ :

Time constant (s)

D value :

Decimal reduction time (s)

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Acknowledgements

Research was conducted at The Ohio State University Food Safety Engineering Laboratory, Center for Clean Food Process Technology Development (u.osu.edu/foodsafetyeng/) in collaboration with Dr. Snyder laboratory, Cornell University. Authors thank Molly Davis, The Ohio State University, for her assistance with proofreading the manuscript. References to commercial products or trade names are made with the understanding that no endorsement or discrimination by The Ohio State University and Cornell University is implied.

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for the study from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AFRI project 2019–68015-29232 (Transforming sanitation strategies in dry food manufacturing environments).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Hyeon Woo Park & V. M. Balasubramaniam

  2. Department of Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    V. M. Balasubramaniam

  3. Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Abigail B. Snyder

  4. MHI Inc., Cincinnati, OH, 45215, USA

    J. A. Sekhar

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Contributions

Hyeon Woo Park: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, and writing–original draft. V. M. Balasubramaniam: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, resources, supervision, and writing–review and editing. Abigail B. Snyder: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, methodology, resources, supervision, and writing–review and editing. J. A. Sekhar: Resources and writing–review and editing.

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Correspondence to V. M. Balasubramaniam.

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Park, H.W., Balasubramaniam, V.M., Snyder, A.B. et al. Influence of Superheated Steam Temperature and Moisture Exchange on the Inactivation of Geobacillus stearothermophilus Spores in Wheat Flour-Coated Surfaces. Food Bioprocess Technol 15, 1550–1562 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-022-02830-3

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