Microbiological quality of Argentinian paprika

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of paprika produced in Catamarca, Argentina. Microbiological analyses were carried out for the enumeration of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, yeasts and molds, and the detection of Salmonella in samples obtained from different local producers during three consecutive years. The mycobiota was identified paying special attention to the mycotoxigenic molds. Standard plate counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged from 2.7×10 to 3.7×10CFU/g. Coliform counts ranged from<10 to 8.1×10CFU/g. Salmonella was not detected in any of the samples tested. Fungal counts (including yeasts and molds) ranged between 2×10 and 1.9×10CFU/g. These results showed a high level of microbial contamination, exceeding in several samples the maximum limits set in international food regulations. The study of the mycobiota demonstrated that Aspergillus was the predominant genus and Aspergillus niger (potential producer of ochratoxin A) the most frequently isolated species, followed by Aspergillus flavus (potential producer of aflatoxins). Other species of potential toxigenic fungi such as Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium commune, Penicillium expansum and Alternaria tenuissima species group were encountered as part of the mycobiota of the paprika samples indicating a risk of mycotoxin contamination. A. westerdijkiae was isolated for the first time in Argentina.

Mycobiota in Chilean chilli Capsicum annuum L. used for production of Merkén

“…(For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) (Decontardi et al, 2018;González et al, 2017;Garcia et al, 2018). As for the P. glabrum clade, our data corroborates Barreto et al (2011) and Houbraken et al (2014) that indicated high intra-specific β-tubulin variation for this group.…”

Detection of Bacillus cereus sensu lato Isolates Posing Potential Health Risks in Mexican Chili Powder

“…To select colonies of B. cereus s.l. with ampicillin-resistance, the medium was supplemented at concentrations of 5,10,15,20,25,50,75, and 100 µg/ mL of ampicillin. Plates were incubated at 37 • C for 24 h and observed for growth.…”

“…Among the approaches used for the characterization of microbial load in chili powder from various countries are the determination of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aerobic spore-forming bacteria, B. cereus detection, and determination of members of the Enterobacteriaceae, yeast, and molds [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Other studies have been conducted for pathogenic species detection, such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, or Escherichia coli in paprika powder [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. A documented outbreak of human salmonellosis was traced to paprika powdered potato chips as the main vehicle of transmission in Germany when paprika powder imported from South America was used to flavor the product [16].…”

Antibiotic resistance pattern of the allochthonous bacteria isolated from commercially available spices

“…This possibility may be attributed to the existing various critical points (vulnerabilities) of microbial contamination during plant cultivation and product supply chain (Alegbeleye et al, 2018;Székács et al, 2018). Even though the spices have low water activity, they could be harbored by diverse pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms (Costa et al, 2020;Melo González et al, 2017). As dried herb products, they may be contaminated by different molds too.Due to the high tolerance to dehydration stress, Salmonella species can survive longer in dry products such as spices.…”