ISSN:
1750-3841
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
,
Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
Notes:
A total of thirty-six spices, herbs and food additives from various sources was investigated. High total viable numbers of sporeformers were present of which a considerable percentage was proteolytic and/or amylolytic. The total number of colony forming units (c.f.u.) varied from several hundred to several million per gram, depending on the source, the manufacturing process, age and type of condiment. Exceptionally high contamination (i.e. 〉 106 c.f.u./g) was found in black pepper, coriander, paprika, mace, pimento and white pepper from source A. No significant numbers of potentially pathogenic organisms were found except for B. cereus, moulds and faecal streptococci. The presence of B. cereus was confirmed in 7 out of 19 samples from source A. Enterococci were isolated and identified from paprika, white pepper, black pepper, pimento, onion powder and salamita. The need for spice cleanliness, commercial sterilization and subsequent proper storage of condiments is stressed.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1982.tb10125.x
Permalink