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Growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium sporogenes in Cottage Cheese in Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Institute of Food Science, Stocking Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Low fat cottage cheese (pH 5.14) was inoculated with three strains of Listeria monocytogenes, serotypes 1_a, and 4_b, an isolate from a dairy processing plant, and Clostridium sporogenes ATCC 3584. The cheese was packaged with or without added dissolved CO₂ in polystyrene tubs overwrapped with or without high barrier heat shrink film and stored at 4, 7, and 21°C for up to 63 d. The concentration of CO₂ in the container headspace was 35% (vol/vol). The C0₂ concentration in that headspace declined by one-third over the 63 d of storage at 4°C. Clostridium sporogenes failed to grow under any condition applied in this study. In the conventionally packaged cottage cheese, L. monocytogenes increased from 10⁴ to 10⁷ cfu/g after lag phases of 28 and 7 d at 4 and 7°C, respectively. In contrast, L. monocytogenes failed to grow in cottage cheese packaged with CO₂ and stored at 4°C up to 63 d and increased from 10⁴ to 10⁵ cfu/g in products packaged with CO₂ at 7°C. These data suggest that the addition of C0₂ to cottage cheese to extend shelf-life does not represent an increased Listeria or botulism hazard but that cottage cheese could be a vehicle for listeriosis.