Increased heat resistance of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores heat-shocked during sporulation

The purpose of this study was to measure the heat resistance and core mineral content of Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 spores when the sporulating cells were exposed to heat shock at different times during sporulation. Heat shock during sporulation was found to increase the heat resistance of the spores produced subsequently. The spores heat shocked 2 h after the end of the exponential phase showed the highest heat resistance and a 30-fold increase in the d(10) compared with the non-heat-shocked spores. The enhanced heat resistance was likely due to the increased mineral content observed in the spores heat shocked at t(7) or t(8).