During the first 4 weeks of ambient storage after drying,
bacterial populations declined more rapidly for inshell walnuts inoculated at 6 or 8 log CFU/nut than for walnuts inoculated at 10 log CFU/nut
(Fig. 1B).
Similarly for medium pecan pieces,
the decline of Salmonella was greater within the first few weeks of storage when inoculated at moderate (5 log CFU/g)
compared to high (7 log CFU/g) levels (Beuchat and Mann, 2010a). When walnuts were inoculated at 6 log CFU/nut,
populations of Salmonella fell below the LOD
(1 log CFU/nut) in three out of six samples after 4 weeks and in all six samples by 8 weeks of storage. At an initial inoculum of 8 log CFU/nut Salmonella levels were above the LOD through 8 weeks and fell below the LOD in two of six samples at 12 weeks of storage.