Lack of Influence of Suspending Media on Heat Activation of Bacillus Subtilis Spores and Absence of Deactivation.

Bacillus subtilis strain 5230 endospores suspended in a variety of suspending media at a concentration of ca. 10(8) per ml were heated at 95 and 75 C. The effect of the heating at 75 C was measured by plate count, and was reported as the heat-activated decimal fraction of the total viable-spore population. Thermal inactivation at 95 C was influenced by the suspending medium. No effects on heat activation at 75 C were noted for suspending media containing glucose, xylose, ribose, NaCl, or sodium phosphate, nor was there any marked effect due to a change in pH from 5 to 8. The heat-activation response was retained during postheating storage at 5 C in water up to 215 days. Postheating storage in several suspending media for 7 days also indicated no deactivation.