News & Views
Scientists link acetic acid with food poisoning
Jun 24 2010
The laboratory news from Lund University may seem surprising to many people, as vinegar has applications in pickling and preserving.
However, the scientists involved were not studying the use of large quantities of acetic acid; rather, they focused on modest amounts used as a preservative.
Nina Wallin Carlquist, a doctor of philosophy in engineering at the Lund University division of applied microbiology, recently defended her thesis on the topic.
She explains: "In my studies I saw that a small amount of acetic acid caused the bacteria to become stressed, which meant they reacted by producing more toxin."
However, she adds that if the acidity level is increased by adding a greater amount of the acid, the bacteria are killed.
Within the European Union, the presence of acetic acid as a preservative ingredient in food is labelled using the E-number E260 on product labels.
Digital Edition
Lab Asia 31.2 April 2024
April 2024
In This Edition Chromatography Articles - Approaches to troubleshooting an SPE method for the analysis of oligonucleotides (pt i) - High-precision liquid flow processes demand full fluidic c...
View all digital editions
Events
Apr 28 2024 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 05 2024 Seville, Spain
InformEx Zone at CPhl North America
May 07 2024 Pennsylvania, PA, USA
May 14 2024 Oklahoma City, OK, USA
May 15 2024 Birmingham, UK