Abstract
Survival of microorganisms in the food is interesting from the viewpoint of food preservation. However, it is difficult to apply data from one kind of the food to another kind of the food because of different conditions of foods. A total of 61 strains, 30 species, and 10 genera, including lactic acid bacteria and natto-bacilli, were used in this study. Various bacteria were preserved in pure water at low temperature (4°C) and room temperature (25°C), and the numbers of surviving cells were determined after one and four years' preservation. Most strains tested survived in pure water though the numbers of the cells were reduced from 106-108/ml to 104-106/ml. Moreover, survival of bacteria was correlated with the kinds of bacteria and temperatures for preservation. Various bacteria including putrefactive bacteria were considered to be alive in the food. The survived bacteria which survied on the food would be concerned with food putrefaction.
