Brochothrix thermosphacta is Inactivated by Germicidal UV Light

What is Brochothrix thermosphacta?

Brochothrix thermosphacta is an organism known for its spoilage of fresh and cured meat, poultry, and seafood products, typically in the packaging and distribution phases of production. It is a rod-shaped, gram-positiveopen_in_new bacterium, meaning it falls into the classification of bacteria exhibiting strong, non-porous cell walls, able to retain the violet color in the gram strainopen_in_new test. It thrives in oxygen-rich environments, shows a surprising tolerance to high-salt and low-pH conditions, and has the ability to grow in low oxygen refrigerated temperatures.open_in_new

Its two names yield some interesting insights into its nature: brochos means “loop” in Greek and thrix means “thread,” signifying the long chains of rods which characterize its appearance. Its unusual sensitivity to heat helped determined its second name: therm, meaning “heat” and sphaktos, meaning “slain.”

If you were to ingest food tainted by this microorganism, you would typically not get sick. It does not cause illness or infection in humans unless ingested in large, concentrated amounts, in which case gastrointestinal disturbancesopen_in_new may occur. But while Brochothrix thermosphacta is non-pathogenic, when it colonizes meat products it produces metabolitesopen_in_new, resulting in some or all of the undesirable qualities shown below. These symptoms of spoilage render food contaminated by this bacterium as unfit for human consumptionopen_in_new.

Where is it found?

Brochothrix thermosphacta causes meat spoilage — Meat

Raw chicken with cutting board and knife — Poultry

Open can of canned fish with oil — Seafood

What are the effects?

Brochothrix thermosphacta causes a foul odor — A Foul, Cheesy Odor

Brochothrix thermosphacta causes off flavor — Off-flavor

Brochothrix thermosphacta causes discoloration — Discoloration

Brochothrix thermosphacta causes abnormal texture — Texture Abnormalities

Challenges associated with Brochothrix thermosphacta

In addition to being found in food during various stages of production, B. thermosphacta has also been isolated from food processing plants, in locations such as floors, walls, and machineryopen_in_new. Studies suggest that it resides on these surfaces due to its ability to form biofilms, a community of microorganisms which stick to each other and attach to a surface.

In spite of advances in food preservation techniquesopen_in_new, microbial spoilage from bacteria such as Brochothrix thermosphacta still causes substantial economic losses to the meat industry each year. There is much to learn about this bacterium and methods to protect food products from its contamination.

Get More Protection with UV Disinfection

Germicidal ultraviolet (UV-C) surface disinfection can inactivate Brochothrix thermosphacta in high-risk areas such as meat processing facilities and supermarket meat departments. Shop our products at AtlanticUltraviolet.comopen_in_new.

Learn about these applications:

Meat Processing

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Our germicidal lamps produce ultraviolet wavelengths at 254 nanometers, the region of maximum germicidal effectiveness. Read our FAQ blog post to learn more. See UV-C doses below.

Several applications for UV surface disinfection from Brochothrix thermosphacta

Brochothrix thermosphacta: Classification & UV-C Dose for Inactivation

Organism:	Alternate Name:	Type:	Disease:	*UV Dose:**
Brochothrix thermosphacta	Microbacterium thermosphactum	Bacteria	Possible gastrointestinal	12.86 mJ/cm²

* Nominal Ultraviolet dosage necessary to inactivate better than 99% of microorganisms. See sources below.

Looking to inactivate another pathogen? View our complete list of UV-C doses for neutralizing many more bacteria, viruses, protozoa, mold, and yeast.

Sources on Brochothrix thermosphacta

The above information can be found on the following pages.

Dosage Source

Meat Science: Inactivation of Yersinia enterocolitica and Brochothrix thermosphacta on pork by UV-C irradiationopen_in_new

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