4. Conclusions
Dry sand was convenient to use as a dry Salmonella inoculum
medium. The major advantage of using this inoculum medium is
that it does not create aerosolization during handling and storage.
The salt levels have no significant effect on the survival of Salmonella in low and very low water activity food products. The populations of Salmonella gradually reduces in moderately low water
activity products (aw 0.69e0.75) during storage. However, the
survival is enhanced in very low water activity products (aw 0.30).
When preparing a food product that does not undergo a kill step,
such as a dry-blend containing spices, it is necessary to ensure the
absence of Salmonella in the ingredients, as well as practicing strict
adherence to good manufacturing processes that include proper
environmental monitoring and sanitation to minimize the risk of
contamination. Furthermore, adequate consumer cooking instructions are important to ensure proper Salmonella lethality
during preparation of reconstituted dry products.