In-package pasteurization of dried basil leaves using radiofrequency heating

Effect of inoculation (pre‐ vs. post‐grinding) of black pepper on decimal reduction time of Salmonella spp. and Enterococcus faeciumNRRL B‐2354

“…Wei et al (2021) reported a D 80°C ‐value of E. faecium inoculated on ground black pepper post‐grinding as 5.2 ± 0.3 min at 0.45 a w which is less than the 7.5 ± 0.2 min which could be due to a higher water activity of sample used by Wei et al (2021). E. faecium NRRL B2354 has been widely studied as a suitable surrogate for Salmonella in thermal treatments (Ozturk et al, 2020; Verma et al, 2021; Verma et al, 2018; Wason, Verma, Irmak, & Subbiah, 2022). E. faecium 's higher D ‐values compared to Salmonella and its stability during storage suggest that it can be used as a conservative surrogate to assess the effect of inoculation protocol on Salmonella inactivation by the spice industry.…”

“…It is imperative to assess the impact of the inoculation procedure on the Salmonella and its surrogate, that is, E. faecium . As most of the LMF heat inactivation studies by researchers used post‐grinding procedures (Smith et al, 2023; Wason et al, 2023; Wei et al, 2018), those findings do not adequately reflect the actual circumstances in which a food product gets contaminated on the farm and subsequently manufactured into a final product. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to (i) investigate the influence of pre‐ and post‐grinding inoculation methods on Salmonella 's D ‐value in black pepper and (ii) assess the surrogate efficacy of E. faecium Salmonella in thermal processing.…”

“…Low‐moisture foods (LMFs) are those that either naturally contain water activity ( a w ) below 0.85 or high‐moisture foods that have been dehydrated (Batz et al, 2014). LMFs pose food safety risks as evidenced by recent foodborne outbreaks and recalls in the United States (Bianchini et al, 2014; Bowman et al, 2015; Wason et al, 2023; Wason et al, 2021; Xie et al, 2021). According to a consumer survey report collected from 1973 to 2010 (AMSA, 2011), 86% of American households used herbs and spices and 12% of the imported spices were adulterated with filth.…”

“…It is imperative to assess the impact of the inoculation procedure on the Salmonella and its surrogate, that is, E. faecium. As most of the LMF heat inactivation studies by researchers used post-grinding procedures (Smith et al, 2023;Wason et al, 2023;Wei et al, 2018), those findings do not adequately reflect the actual circumstances in which a food product gets contaminated on the farm and subsequently manufactured into a final product.…”