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Kinetics of thermal death of

microorganisms
Steam (or moist heat) is used almost universally for the
sterilization of fermentation media.
Except the use of filtration for the sterilization of media for
animal-cell culture because such media are completely
soluble and contain heat labile components making filtration is
the method of choice for sterilization.
The destruction of microorganism by heat is considered as loss
of viability not destruction.
The destruction of micro-organisms by steam (moist heat) at
specific temperature can be described as a first-order
chemical reaction provided if we considerer loss of viability
not destruction.

The thermal death kinetics may be represented by the following equation:


-dN/dt = kd N
1
Where,
N, is the number of viable organisms present,
T, is the time of the sterilization treatment
kd, is the reaction rate constant of the reaction,

or the specific death rate per time.


On integration of equation (i) from t=0 to t=t,we have the following
expression :
Nt/N0 =e-kdt

where
No is the number of viable organisms present at the start of the
sterilization treatment,
Nt is the number of viable organisms present after a treatment period,
t.
On taking natural logarithms, equation (2) is reduced to:
ln(Nt/N0) = - kd t

The graphically equations (1) and (3) are represented


as,
Fig: Plots of the proportion of
survivors and the natural
logarithm of the proportion of
survivors in a population of
microorganisms subjected to a
lethal temperature over a time
period.

The relationship observed in the above graph would be found


only with the sterilization of a pure culture in one physiological
form, under ideal sterilization conditions.
From Principles of Fermentation
Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

We have got two predictions from this kinetic


description-

(i) An infinite time is required to achieve


sterile conditions (i.e. N = 0).
t

(ij) After a certain time there will be less


than one viable cell present.

The ratio of No/Nt is the inactivation


factor,
The ratio of Nt/No is the survival
factor and
the In of No/Nt=V is the design
criterion, a parameter which
encompasses the contamination
level of the medium to be sterilized,
No, and the desired sterility level, Nt.

In the above equations,


k is a constant which expresses the
specific death rate.
It increases sharply with temperature
and
can be experimentally determined far an
organism using equation 3.

If the experimentally determined Ink


value from this equation is plotted
against the reciprocal temperature (1/T)
value, a straight line should be obtained
from which the k value can be
calculated for a desired temperature.

The value of k is not only species


dependent, but dependent on the
physiological form of the cell (i.e.
vegetative and spore form)

Initial population increase resulting from the heat activation


of spores in the early stages of a sterilization process

From Principles of Fermentation


Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

An initial stationary period observed during a sterilization


treatment due to the death of spores being completly
compensated
by the heat activation of spores

From Principles of Fermentation


Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

Initial population decline at a sub-maximum rate during a


sterilization treatment due to the death of spores being
compensated
by the heat activation of spores

From Principles of Fermentation


Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

The effect of a sterilizaIion treatment on a mixed culture


consisting of a high proportion of a very sensitive organism

From Principles of Fermentation


Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

The effect of a sterilization treatment on a mixed culture


consisting of a high proportion of a relatively resistant organism

From Principles of Fermentation


Technology,- Peter F. Stanbury,
Allen Whitaker, Stephen J. Hall,
Second Edition,

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