2015 journal article

Mitochondrial DNA Fragmentation to Monitor Processing Parameters in High Acid, Plant-Derived Foods

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, 80(12), M2892–M2898.

By: J. Caldwell n, I. Perez-Diaz *, K. Harris  n, H. Hassan n , J. Simunovic n  & K. Sandeep n 

author keywords: high-acid foods; mitochondrial DNA; quantitative PCR; thermal processing
MeSH headings : Acids; Bacteria / growth & development; Cucumis sativus / genetics; DNA Fragmentation; DNA, Mitochondrial; DNA, Plant / analysis; Fermentation; Food Analysis; Food Handling / methods; Food Microbiology; Food Preservation / methods; Fruit; Genes, Mitochondrial; Genes, Plant; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Solanum lycopersicum / genetics; Pasteurization; Plants, Edible / genetics; Temperature; Vegetables
TL;DR: MtDNA fragmentation was shown to be a potential new tool to characterize low temperature (<100 °C) high acid processes (pH < 4.6), nonthermal processes such as vegetable fermentation and holding times of acidified, plant-derived products. (via Semantic Scholar)
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Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

AbstractMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragmentation was assessed in acidified foods. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Ct values measured from fresh, fermented, pasteurized, and stored cucumber mtDNA were determined to be significantly different (P > 0.05) based on processing and shelf‐life. This indicated that the combination of lower temperature thermal processes (hot‐fill at 75 °C for 15 min) and acidified conditions (pH = 3.8) was sufficient to cause mtDNA fragmentation. In studies modeling high acid juices, pasteurization (96 °C, 0 to 24 min) of tomato serum produced Ct values which had high correlation to time‐temperature treatment. Primers producing longer amplicons (approximately 1 kb) targeting the same mitochondrial gene gave greater sensitivity in correlating time‐temperature treatments to Ct values. Lab‐scale pasteurization studies using Ct values derived from the longer amplicon differentiated between heat treatments of tomato serum (95 °C for <2 min). MtDNA fragmentation was shown to be a potential new tool to characterize low temperature (<100 °C) high acid processes (pH < 4.6), nonthermal processes such as vegetable fermentation and holding times of acidified, plant‐derived products.