The standard selective enrichment protocols of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were compared with an experimental nonselective broth enrichment (NSB) protocol and variations of the standard cold-enrichment (CE) protocol for the recovery of heat-injured Listeria monocytogenes.  Bacterial cells (10(7)/ml) were suspended in sterile milk and heated at 71.7 degrees C in a slug-flow heat exchanger for holding times ranging from 1 to 30 s.  Surviving cells were determined (50% endpoint) by the given protocols, and the following D values were obtained: NSB, D = 2.0 +/- 0.5 s; FDA, D = 1.4 +/- 0.3 s; USDA, D = 0.6 +/- 0.2 s; CE, D less than or equal to 1.2 s.  The respective direct-plating media used in these enrichments were also analyzed for recovery, and the following D values were calculated from the enumeration of surviving cells; NSB, D = 2.7 +/- 0.8 s; FDA, D = 1.3 +/- 0.4 s; USDA, D = 0.7 +/- 0.2 s.  The low levels of heat-injured L. monocytogenes cells which were detected at inactivation endpoints on the optimal nonselective media (25 degrees C for 7 days) failed to recover and multiply during experimental CEs (4 degrees C for 28 days).  Initial inactivation experiments in which raw whole milk was used as the heating menstruum gave much lower recoveries with all protocols.  The detectable limits for uninjured cells that were suspended in raw milk were similar (0.35 to 3.2 cells per ml) for the standard CE, FDA, and USDA protocols.