SUMMARY:Relative growth rates of 8 food poisoning strains ofClostridium perfringensin 100 nitrogen atmosphere and in a 100 carbon dioxide atmosphere at 760‐mm pressure were determined. Growth was measured by the pour plate method. Substrate was fluid thioglycollate medium flushed with 100 nitrogen gas or 100 carbon dioxide gas at atmospheric pressure and incubation was at 43° C Headspace gas in the culture flask was analyzed during the growth period. The nitrogen was reduced at the end of 5 hr but the carbon dioxide remained at approximately 100 during the 3.5‐4‐hr exponential growth phase. Generation time of theClostridium perfringensstrains grown in 100 nitrogen atmosphere varied from 12.9–16.9 min and in the 100 carbon dioxide atmosphere from 12.9–17.2 min. When comparing individual strains in carbon dioxide versus nitrogen, no significant difference was noticed. When each of the 8 strains was compared with one another in a nitrogen atmosphere, as well as in a carbon dioxide atmosphere, significant differences were noticed in gr
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