Production of Enterotoxin‐B in Cured Meats

SUMMARY— A variety of laboratory cured hams were inoculated with 10 3 −10 6 cells of S. aureus strain S‐6 and incubated at 10, 22 and 30°C anaerobically for up to 16 weeks. Enterotoxin‐B was detected by gel‐diffusion in hams with original pH over 5.30, up to 9.2% NaCl (brine) and 0.54 ppm undissociated nitrous acid. There was better toxin production at 30° than at 22° or 10°C. Toxin was detected at 10°C after at least 2 weeks incubation and in most samples after 8 weeks when pH was greater than 5.6. Toxic hams had more than 4 × 10 6 cells/g. Contaminants were always less than 10 5 /g. Tween 80 inhibited toxin production at 30° but not at 10°C. Toxic hams looked normal even after 2 months incubation at 10°C.