Raman Spectroscopy Applied to Early Detection of Clostridium Infection in Milk

• Published in: Applied spectroscopy Vol. 78; no. 12; p. 1256
• Main Authors: Barbiero, Daniele, Melison, Fabio, Cocola, Lorenzo, Fedel, Massimo, Andrighetto, Cristian, Dea, Paola De, Poletto, Luca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Clostridium - isolation & purification; Clostridium Infections - diagnosis; Clostridium Infections - microbiology; Food Microbiology - methods; Limit of Detection; Milk - chemistry; Milk - microbiology; Spectrum Analysis, Raman - methods; Spores, Bacterial - chemistry; Spores, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Clostridium; hydrogen; Raman spectroscopy; food quality; gas analysis
• ISSN: 1943-3530
• DOI: 10.1177/00037028241252693

Detecting in milk presents a significant challenge for the dairy industry given that traditional methods are time-consuming and not specific for these bacteria. Microbiological techniques are expensive and require qualified personnel. , in the form of spores, can withstand pasteurization and revert to its vegetative form during cheese aging. These gas-producing bacteria are known for their production of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, causing the formation of slits, cracks, and irregular eyes in hard and semi-hard cheeses. However, gas analysis in the vial headspace of appropriate culture can be exploited to specifically detect presence, since the closest competing bacterial produces only carbon dioxide. The aim of this paper is to present a Raman-spectroscopy-based instrument for a rapid, inexpensive identification of in milk with a limit of detection of 29 spores/L. The proposed measurement procedure is analog to that routinely used, based on the most probable number method. The Raman-based instrument speeds up the detection of a vial's positivity. A test conducted with spores demonstrated its effectiveness in almost halving the time needed for the measurement campaign compared to the traditional method.