Abstract
An in-depth study was conducted in order to extend the storage life of a liquid whole egg–skim milk (LWE-SM) mixed beverage to enhance its safety and the safety of related beverages. Bacillus cereus vegetative cells (1 × 108 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) were inoculated in LWE-SM beverages with or without natural antimicrobial supplements: flavonol rich-cocoa powder (cocoanOX 12%, CCX) (700 ppm), vanillin (700 ppm), anise (700 ppm), and cinnamon (700 ppm). B. cereus cells were maintained at 10°C for 10 days in the different beverages to test the bacteriostatic or inhibitory effect of the aforementioned ingredients. Beverages were treated with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology and stored at 10°C for 15 days after treatment. All natural antimicrobials reduced the μmax values and increased the lag phase time of B. cereus, and Gompertz growth curves showed different inhibitory effects depending on the substance. The maximum inhibitory effect (1.330 log cycle reduction) was achieved in LWE-SM–cinnamon-supplemented beverage. The maximum inactivation achieved by HHP in LWE-SM beverage was a reduction of around 3.89 ± 0.25 log cycles at 300 MPa for 12 minutes. When supplemented beverages were treated under the same conditions, enhanced inactivation levels were achieved. This increased inactivation can be attributed to a synergistic effect when the LWE-SM was supplemented with flavonol-rich cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanillin. The maximum synergistic effect was observed in LWE-SM-CCX–supplemented beverage. During the refrigerated storage of B. cereus HHP-treated cells in beverages to which antimicrobials had been added, the inhibitory effect was dependent on the previously applied pressure level.