Desiccation, in which producers reduce the water content (aw) of the food to below 0.85, inhibits bacterial activity and does not support pathogen growth. However, FBD pathogen cells can survive this process, remaining viable and infective even in a damaged state.
Can bacteria survive desiccation?
In the air-dried state some bacteria survive only for seconds whereas others can tolerate desiccation for thousands, perhaps millions, of years. The desiccated (anhydrobiotic) cell is characterized by its singular lack of water--with contents as low as 0.02 g of H2O g (dry weight)-1.
How do bacteria resist desiccation?
Desiccation-resistant isolates accumulated high intracellular manganese and low iron concentrations compared to sensitive bacteria. In vivo, proteins of desiccation-resistant bacteria were protected from oxidative modifications that introduce carbonyl groups in sensitive bacteria during drying.
