An alternative approach to inactivate C. perfringens spores is using germination temperatures that allow germination but are lethal to vegetative cells. A previous study showed that heat-activated spores of a food poisoning C. perfringens isolate (strain SM101) can germinate at temperatures lethal to vegetative cells (i.e., higher than 55 C) when incubated in 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) with 100 mM L-asparagine (AK mixture) and 100 mM KCl, but not when incubated with KCl or L-asparagine alone (Paredes-Sabja et al., 2008d).