Spores from 21 strains from different genera were heat-treated and stored in different sets of process conditions (4 temperatures and 3 pH levels) defined to prevent growth. In these conditions, spores surviving the heat treatment progressively lost viability during storage. Different inactivation curve shapes (linear, shoulder and tailing) and different sensitivities to storage were observed. B. coagulans showed the fastest inactivation kinetics, with more than 4-log reduction of spore population within 24 h after heating and G. stearothermophilus displayed slower inactivation kinetics, whereas all the anaerobic strains studied (M. thermoacetica and Thermoanaerobacterium spp.) proved resistant to storage conditions, with no destruction detected during 90 days in most cases. Inactivation rates were relatively unaffected by sub-lethal pH but sharply accelerated by temperature: Inactivation became faster as temperature increased (in the 8 °C–55 °C temperature range), with growth blocked by low pH in sub-lethal temperatures.

There were changes in surviving spore numbers after the heat-treatment phase. This has implications and applications in canned food industries, as the probability of a retorted sample testing as non-stable, meaning possible spoilage, may decrease with time. In simple terms, a batch of low-acid canned food that tests as non-shelf-stable after an incubation test i.e. positive growth conditions, may later become negative if stored at room temperature (below the minimal growth temperature for thermophilic spores), which may change the marketability of the batch.

对来自不同属的21个菌株的孢子进行热处理，并在不同的加工条件下（4个温度和3个pH值水平）储存以防止生长。在这些条件下，经过热处理的孢子在储存过程中会逐渐失去活力。观察到了不同的灭活曲线形状（线性，肩部和尾部）以及对存储的敏感性。凝结芽孢杆菌显示出最快的灭活动力学，加热后24 h内孢子种群减少超过4个对数，嗜热脂肪芽孢杆菌显示出较慢的灭活动力学，而所有研究的厌氧菌株（热乙酸分枝杆菌和嗜热厌氧菌属）均证明具有抗性。储存条件下，大多数情况下在90天内未发现损坏。

热处理阶段后，存活孢子数有所变化。这对罐头食品行业具有影响和应用，因为经过蒸煮的样品测试不稳定的可能性（意味着可能的变质）可能会随着时间而降低。简而言之，一批在孵化测试后测试为非货架稳定的低酸罐头食品，即生长条件呈阳性，如果在室温下（低于嗜热芽孢的最低生长温度）保存，则可能随后变为阴性。可能会更改该批次的适销性。