Stress proteins

Stress proteins are proteins synthesized by an organism in response to environmental stress, such as heat shock, exposure to toxic substances, ultraviolet radiation, or viral infection. The heat shock proteins are the classic example, produced to protect the organism from the destructive consequences of stress by stabilizing other proteins and aiding refolding. In food microbiology they explain how pathogens survive processing: sublethal heating or acid exposure can induce stress proteins that make cells more resistant to subsequent lethal treatments. Understanding these responses is essential for designing preservation processes that cannot be outwitted by adaptation.