Direct Observation of the Germination of Bacterial Spores Using Optical-Glass-Equipped High-Pressure Apparatus

110004680853Works published on the application of high pressure for the preservation of foods and pharmaceuticals have so far been limited to the cases of spore suspensions before or after pressurization. In our previous report, we observed germination of bacterial spores both after and during pressurization. In order to get more detailed information on germination during pressurization, we developed a new apparatus and investigated the in situ germination of Bacillus subtilis spores under high-pressure conditions. Two important results were obtained using the apparatus in this study : 1. A lag-period was observed before in situ germination of Bacillus subtilis spores under high-pressure conditions ; 2. The above lag-period was temperature-dependent. The observed lag-period gives very important information for the application of high-pressure to food processing.journal articl