in proteinaceous foods such as meat, poultry, fish the same temperatures. Moreover, at the validation
(Dalgaard, 1995) or dairy products, and is non- step, C. luteola broths were sub-cultured at 1, 4, 7
negligible in vegetable foods (Brocklehurst and and 278C and cultured at 78C in order to study the
Lund, 1981; Carlin et al., 1989). Psychrotrophic sub-culture temperature incidence on growth and
bacteria producing pectinolytic enzymes were re- damage parameters.
ported to be responsible of vegetable spoilage before
or after harvest. In fact, pectic compounds fill the