This is the first study carried out in the Brazilian chocolate industry
that has investigated Enterobacteriaceae contamination
throughout the chocolate processing line, from cocoa processed
ingredients to end products. Salmonella and E. coli were not
detected in any of the 395 samples analyzed. However, the presence
of both microorganisms in chocolate has already been reported
in literature. Torres-Vitela et al. (1995) isolated Salmonella
from two samples of wrapped chocolate. In Spain, Barrera et al.
(2001) detected E. coli in 7% of the analyzed samples, with counts
of 0.6 and 1.1 log MPN/g.