THE INFLUENCE OF POLYPHOSPHATE MIXTURE ON THE GROWTH OF BACTERIA SIGNIFICANT IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Phosphates are frequently used in the food processing, especially in the dairy and meat industries. They act as emulsifying salts, crucial in the manufacturing of processed cheeses. The effect of Cremosal AB4, a commercially used polyphosphate mixture, was tested in vitro on the growth of nine bacterial strains significant in the food industry: Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Geobacillus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, and Escherichia. Five phosphate concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5% w/v, calculated on P2O5) were selected to assess the effect of the polyphosphate mixture on bacterial growth. The susceptibility of each bacterial strain to Cremosal AB4 phosphate was evaluated in a liquid culture medium enriched with the appropriate salt concentration. Subsequently, cell growth was assessed by measuring optical density at 850 nm. The results indicate that even at the lowest tested concentration of 0.1% w/v, Cremosal AB4 polyphosphate effectively inhibited the growth of all bacteria examined, except Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CCDM 141 and Escherichia coli CCM 3954.