| heal.abstract |
Introduction Being a product of agricultural practice, spices can carry high numbers of microorganisms as well as mycotoxins, especially aflatoxin B1. Thus, effective control of these parameters is a prerequisite for their utilization in the food sector. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the microbiological quality and the aflatoxin B1 content of 15 additives, 13 spices and 38 spice mixtures used in the meat industry. Methods Three series of samples were taken for analyses. Standard and established methods were used for both microbiological analyses and aflatoxin B1 detection. Results and Conclusion Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, Bacillus sp., Bacillus cereus, sulphur-reducing clostridia and Escherichia coli were below detection limit in all samples examined. This was also the case regarding the total aerobic mesophilic count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and yeasts/moulds counts of additives. On the other hand, 12 out of 13 spices and 20 out of 38 spice mixtures were found to be contaminated with some of them being of unacceptable microbiological quality according to Recommendation 2004/24/EC. Analyses for aflatoxin B1 content revealed absence or, at least, presence of this contaminant below the detection limit of 1.0 p.p.b. in all samples. The absence of bacterial pathogens and aflatoxin B1 is an important finding regarding the safety of additive, spice and spice mixtures in the meat industry. However, the presence of members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, raise questions regarding the hygienic status of their handling. |
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