Thermal Inactivation of Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin

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Abstract
Thermal inactivation studies of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin revealed that biological activity was destroyed within 5 min at 60 C, whereas about 10% or less residual serological activity could be detected even after 80 min of exposure at 60 C in saline or in phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 or 8.0. Loss of serological activity was more rapid at 60 C at pH 5.4 or 6.0 than at pH 7.0 or 8.0. Flocculation of enterotoxin was visible in phosphate buffer after 20 min of exposure at 60 C, pH 5.4, 70 min at pH 6.0 but not at all at pH 7.0 or 8.0. Rapid loss of serological activity also occurred at 60 C in cooked turkey, chicken gravy, beef gravy as well as in 5, 10, and 20% bovine serum albumin and gelatin. Up to about 12% of the heat-inactivated serological activity could be recovered by treating toxin in the food samples with urea for 1 h at room temperature. However, serological activity of toxin heated in phosphate buffer could not be reactivated by urea treatment.

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