Presentation at IFT annual meeting and Food Expo 2012, Las Vegas

                    

R. Perren, T. Lohmüller, 2012, INFLUENCE OF PASTEURIZATION AND STERILIZATION CONDITIONS ON THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF SPICES, Poster Presentation at the IFT annual meeting and Food Expo, June 25-28, 2012, Las Vegas NV.

  

Spices are highly contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and represent a major hazard for food production and consumption. As not only vegetative microorganisms are present in spices, decontamination normally aims at a reduction of total plate count, which is achieved only if elevated sterilization conditions are applied.

It was the purpose of this work to investigate the influence of a steam condensation pasteurization -sterilization process on microflora and product quality depending on process conditions.

Spices were inoculated with Enterococcus faecium NRRL B 2354, a heat resistant surrogate for Salmonella, and with Geobacillus stearothermophilus, a heat resistant surrogate for spore forming microorganisms. The inoculated products were steam-treated in a controlled condensation process CCP at varying conditions. The inactivation of microorganisms and product quality alterations were assessed.

Product properties with respect to color and volatile oil concentration changed slightly depending on process conditions (Time-temperature-moisture-profile), whereas temperature and moisture conditions exhibited a predominant influence. At pasteurization conditions lower than 100°C, changes" in product quality were considerably lower than at sterilization condition higher than 100°C. Enterococcus faecium was inactivated by more than 5 log units at comparably mild conditions (81-91°C for 5 min). At such conditions spore formers are hardly harmed but activated. Depending on their heat resistance properties, spores formers such as Geobacillus stearothermophilus were completely inactivated below detection level at elevated process conditions starting from 100°C only.

These results show that spices may be pasteurized in a validated process at mild and quality preserving conditions in order to reduce the risk for a salmonella contamination. Although proper pasteurization virtually eliminates the pathogenic risk, total plate counts may still be elevated depending on the initial spore contamination. The requirements to validate the pasteurization process on an industrial scale are discussed. 

 


24.05.2017 |
23.01.2017 |
19.09.2016 |
09.08.2016 |
14.04.2016 |
14.04.2016 |
01.12.2015 |
 
03.11.2015 |
02.07.2013 |
07.05.2010 |