The Microbiological Safety of Low Water Activity Foods and Spices

437 Pages·2014·7.78 MB·English

by  Joshua B. Gurtler

Food Microbiology and Food Safety
Practical Approaches
Joshua B. Gurtler
Michael P. Doyle
Jeff rey L. Kornacki Editors
The
Microbiological
Safety of Low
Water Activity
Foods and Spices
Food Microbiology and Food Safety
Series Editor:
Michael P. Doyle
Food Microbiology and Food Safety Series
The Food Microbiology and Food Safety series is published in conjunction with
the International Association for Food Protection, a non-profi t association for food
safety professionals. Dedicated to the life-long educational needs of its Members,
IAFP provides an information network through its two scientifi c journals (Food
Protection Trends and Journal of Food Protection), its educational Annual Meeting,
international meetings and symposia, and interaction between food safety
professionals.
Series Editor
Michael P. Doyle, Regents Professor and Director of the Center for Food Safety,
University of Georgia, Griffi th, GA, USA
Editorial Board
Francis F. Busta, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Patricia Desmarchelier, Food Safety Consultant, Brisbane, Australia
Jeffrey Farber, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Ottawa, ON, Canada
David Golden, Professor of Microbiology, Department of Food Science
and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
Vijay Juneja, Supervisory Lead Scientist, USDA-ARS, Philadelphia, PA, USA
More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/7131
Joshua B. Gurtler • Michael P. Doyle
Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Editors
The Microbiological Safety
of Low Water Activity
Foods and Spices
Editors
Joshua B. Gurtler Michael P. Doyle
U.S. Department of Agriculture ARS, University of Georgia Center of Food Safety
Eastern Regional Research Center Griffi n , GA , USA
Food Safety Intervention Technologies
Wyndmoor , PA , USA
Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc.
Madison , WI , USA
ISBN 978-1-4939-2061-7 ISBN 978-1-4939-2062-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4939-2062-4
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014956012
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
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Contents
Part I Introduction and Overview
The Microbiological Safety of Spices and Low- Water
Activity Foods: Correcting Historic Misassumptions .................................. 3
Joshua B. Gurtler , Michael P. Doyle , and Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Challenges in the Control of Foodborne Pathogens
in Low-Water Activity Foods and Spices ...................................................... 15
Sofi a M. Santillana Farakos and Joseph F. Frank
Part II Pathogen Persistence and Control
in Low a Foods and Processing Plants
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Adaptation of Pathogenic Microorganisms to Dry Conditions .................. 37
Pieter Breeuwer
Transcriptomic Responses of Salmonella Species to Desiccation
and Low-Moisture Environments: Extending Our Knowledge
of How Bacteria Cope with Low-Moisture Stress ........................................ 49
Sarah Finn , Peter McClure , Alejandro Amézquita ,
and Séamus Fanning
Processing Plant Investigations: Practical Approaches
to Determining Sources of Persistent Bacterial Strains
in the Industrial Food Processing Environment ........................................... 67
Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Dry Cleaning, Wet Cleaning, and Alternatives to Processing
Plant Hygiene and Sanitation ........................................................................ 85
Scott L. Burnett and Robert Hagberg
v
vi Contents
Part III Low a Food Commodities of Interest
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Spices ................................................................................................................ 99
Joan M. Pinkas and Susanne E. Keller
Dried Dairy-Based Products .......................................................................... 115
Jeffrey L. Kornacki and Greg Desautels
Low-Water Activity Meat Products .............................................................. 127
Peter J. Taormina and John N. Sofos
Dried Ready-to-Eat Cereal Products ............................................................ 165
Scott K. Hood
Powdered Infant Formula .............................................................................. 177
Stephen Forsythe
Nuts and Nut Pastes ........................................................................................ 213
John C. Frelka and Linda J. Harris
Flour and Meal ................................................................................................ 245
Deann Akins-Lewenthal
Chocolate and Confectionary ......................................................................... 269
David C. Bean and Laurie S. Post
Salty Snack Foods ........................................................................................... 295
Jeff Kuehm and Diana Casas
Pet Foods .......................................................................................................... 315
Bradley A. Stawick and Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Dried Teas and Herbs ..................................................................................... 329
Li Maria Ma , Shefali Dobhal , and Chris Timmons
Part IV Product Testing
Regulatory Testing Guidelines and Recommendations ............................... 347
Warren E. Stone
Methodological and Sampling Challenges to Testing Spices
and Low-Water Activity Food for the Presence
of Foodborne Pathogens ................................................................................. 367
Jean-Louis Cordier
Contents vii
Part V Low a Food Decontamination
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Irradiation, Microwave, and Alternative Energy-Based
Treatments for Low-Water Activity Foods ................................................... 389
Brendan A. Niemira
Heat and Steam Treatments ........................................................................... 403
Elizabeth M. Grasso , Christina N. Stam , Nathan M. Anderson ,
and Kathiravan Krishnamurthy
Part VI Research Needs
Research Gaps and Needs Pertaining to Microbial Pathogens
in Spices and Low-a Foods ........................................................................... 427
w
Margaret Hardin
Index ................................................................................................................. 441
Part I
Introduction and Overview
The Microbiological Safety of Spices
and Low- Water Activity Foods:
Correcting Historic Misassumptions
Joshua B. Gurtler , Michael P. Doyle , and Jeffrey L. Kornacki
Abstract Low-water activity (low-a ) foods (those with a < 0.70), which were once
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thought to be microbiologically safe, have, in recent years, been shown to be contami-
nated with foodborne pathogens, most notably and frequently S almonella spp., leading to
numerous food product recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. Low- a food products
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can no longer be considered inherently safe, simply because Salmonella will not grow in
such products. Therefore, diligence must be applied to ensure that safe food practices are
employed for low-a foods. Areas of concern include the sourcing of major and minor
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ingredients, unsanitary drying or storage conditions, contaminated processing equipment
or improper maintenance, faulty sanitary design of manufacturing or processing equip-
ment, sick or infected employees, cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods, improper
sanitation procedures, improper testing methods, inappropriate sampling plans, failure to
act on foodborne pathogen-positive samples, and failure to validate and verify antimicro-
bial intervention treatments. Other areas in need of attention include failure to implement
approved H azard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans in manufacturing
facilities, improper supplier or importer standards or failure to monitor or audit suppliers
for hygiene and pathogen control, a faulty assumption that a given low-a food or food
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product is innately safe from foodborne pathogen contamination, or, fi nally, overt crimi-
nal negligence on the part of a manufacturer or supplier involving one or more of the
items mentioned above. Examples of low-a food products that have previously been
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considered inherently safe from foodborne pathogens are raw fl our (responsible for a
2008 outbreak sickening 67 people and hospitalizing 12) and two peanut butter or paste
outbreaks in 2007–2009, which sickened over 1,400 people in 48 US states and Canada.
It is conceivable that low- a food products not yet considered at risk for foodborne patho-
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gens may emerge. S almonella spp., of all common foodborne pathogens, will continue to
pose the greatest threat in these foods, due to its uncanny ability to survive desiccation in
foods and live for years in the environment of food processing facilities.
J. B. Gurtler (*)
USDA Research Scientist , 1029 Square Dr. , Phoenixville , PA 19460 , USA
e-mail: [email protected]
M. P. Doyle
University of Georgia , Center for Food Safety , 1109 Experinat St. Griffi n , GA 30223 , USA
J. L. Kornacki
Kornacki Microbilogy Solutions , 9 Woodgien Ct. , Madison , WI 53716 , USA
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 3
J.B. Gurtler et al. (eds.), The Microbiological Safety of Low Water
Activity Foods and Spices, Food Microbiology and Food Safety,
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4939-2062-4_1