Small Infectious Doses of Salmonella

Contemporary issues: diseases with a food vector.

“…There is ample evidence that, in many instances, extremely low numbers of Salmonella spp. (even a single organism) may cause disease (25,53,54). One member of this vast group, Salmonella enteriditis, is currently of particular concern.…”

Thermal inactivation of Salmonella spp. during conching

“…Still, microorganisms may be present in the final product. However, beside low a w -value of chocolate it has been suggested that certain food ingredients such as fat may protect microorganisms against thermal treatment during food processing (D'Aoust & Pivnick, 1976). Considering the high temperatures ranging from 110 to 140 C -applied during the dry roasting of the cocoa beans, followed by conching the cocoa liquor at 50-80 C for 12-24 h, one would assume that microorganisms such as Salmonellae would be completely inactivated.…”