The effects of irradiation and temperature on the immunological activity of staphylococcal enterotoxin A.

The effects of irradiation and temperature on purified staphylococcal enterotoxin A were investigated using sensitive ELISA systems. Thermal inactivation of staphylococcal enterotoxin A in phosphate-buffered saline was considerably faster at temperatures of 60, 70, 115 and 121 degrees C than at 90 and 100 degrees C. In gelatin phosphate buffer, staphylococcal enterotoxin A was completely inactivated by irradiation at 8.0 kGy; in a 15% mince slurry, however, 27-37% of staphylococcal enterotoxin A remained at this level of irradiation. Even at a dose of 23.7 kGy, 16-26% residual staphylococcal enterotoxin A could still be detected. Generally, increasing the mince concentration increased the protection against the effect of irradiation on staphylococcal enterotoxin A. However, the protective effect of mince at a concentration of 50% was less than at a mince concentration of 30%. Both irradiation and heat processing of food should only be used in conjunction with good manufacturing practices to prevent proliferation of microorganisms and toxin productions.