Surface decontamination of cheddar cheese by electron-beam irradiation

Cheddar cheese samples inoculated with two different levels of Penicillium cyclopium or Aspergillus ochraceus spores were vacuum-packed and irradiated at various doses up to 3.5 kGy with electrons from a 10-MeV linear accelerator. Unirradiated cheese showed visible mold growth in 8-25 d at 10 degrees C, and 7-12 d at 15 degrees C, depending on species and spore concentration. Only marginal extension of shelf life at 15 degrees C was achieved with cheese inoculated with 102 cfu per sample of either of the mold spores, followed by irradiation at 0.21 or 0.52 kGy. However, at these doses the average shelf life at 10 degrees C was extended by 41.5 and 50.5 d respectively when the inoculum was A. ochraceus. When the inoculum level was increased tenfold, irradiation at 1.2 and 3.5 kGy extended the average shelf life of cheese containing P. cyclopium by 44.5 and >262 d respectively at 10 degrees C, and by 3 and >166 d respectively at 15 degrees C. The shelf life of samples containing A. ochraceus and irradiated at 1.2 or 3.5 kGy was extended by at least 255.5 d at 10 degrees C and at least 160 d at 15 degrees C. The results clearly showed that low radiation doses are effective in the mold decontamination of cheese. The results also suggest that P. cyclopium in Cheddar cheese is more radiation-resistant than A. ochraceus. This was supported by determination of radiation survival curves for the two species incorporated into Cheddar cheese: D10 values for P. cyclopium and A. ochraceus were found to be 0.40 and 0.21 kGy respectively. The radiation sensitivity of the two organisms was found not to vary with pH in the pH range 5.0-6.2