Salmonella prevalence and total microbial and spore populations in spices imported to Japan

A total of 259 samples of 40 types of spices were tested for Salmonella prevalence and total microbial and spore populations. Salmonella enterica serotypes Weltevreden and Senftenberg were isolated from a black- and red-pepper sample, respectively. Because Salmonella was not detected by the most-probable-number method, it indicated that at least one cell of the microorganism was present in 25 g of sample. The mean aerobic bacterial count was greater than 5.39 log CFU/g in turmeric, garam masala, curry powder, and paprika. The mean bacterial spore counts were greater than 4.33 log CFU/g in turmeric and curry powder. The mean aerobic bacterial count in the two Salmonella-isolated samples was 6.93 log CFU/g. These results indicate that spices can be a source of contamination in the products where they are used as ingredients, and methods to reduce the microbial load in spices should be used.