Influence of Heat Treatment and Addition of Glycine on the Production of Clostridium botulinum Toxin in Casing Kamaboko

Growth of various types of botulinal spores which were heat treated at various temperatures and inoculated into cooked meat broth containing various concentra-tions of glycine was studied. The toxin produced by spores of Clostridium botulinum type A in casing Kamaboko containing various concentrations of glycine was also scrutinized. 1) The growth of botulinal spores of types A, B, E and F after heat treatment varied with type and spore concentration. 2) The inhibitory effect of glycine on the growth varied depending on the tem-perature of the heat treatment and type and concentration of spores. 3)The survival rates of the various spore types after heat treatment were highest in type A followed by type B, but the relation between survival rate and spore concentration was indistinct. 4) The addition of glycine to casing Kamaboko inoculated with spores of C. botulinum type A strain 190 and stored at 30°C for 4 weeks appeared to effectively retard toxin production when the spore content was less than 102/g Kamaboko. Generally, putrefaction of Kamaboko seems to precede the detection of botulinal toxin. 5) In conclusion, it is necessary to store casing Kamaboko at low temperature, as indicated in the new notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan, when casing Kamaboko is boiled under atmospheric pressure without highly effective fungicide like furylfuramide and stored for a long period.