Risks of Salmonellosis and Staphylococcal Food Poisoning From Pakistani Milk-based Confectioneries

Hazards of milk-based products were conducted in three confectionery manufacturing shops in a city in Pakistan. The incoming khoa (a heat-concentrated milk product having a water activity of approximately 0.97) was initially contaminated with staphylococci and contained enterotoxin. The confectionery was subsequently cooked to temperatures that would be lethal to staphylococci, but staphylococci were often found in high numbers in the finished products. Recontamination occurred during handling. Khoa-filled confectionery and confectionery made from renin-processed cheese were contaminated by salmonellae. The contaminants reached the products either during cooling or handling after cooking. Multiplication occurred in the warm environment of the shop and may continue in products having high water activity during transport and within retail outlets. Critical control points are source of ingredients (particularly khoa), formulation, cooking (except for preformed enterotoxins), cooling, and cold storage. Milk-based products of the types evaluated pose a high risk of causing foodborne illness.