Spices and dried vegetable seasonings are potential sources of bacterial contamination for foods. However,
little is known about lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in spices and dried vegetables, even though certain
LAB may cause food spoilage. In this study, we enumerated LAB in 104 spices and dried vegetables
products aimed for the food manufacturing industry. The products were obtained from a spice wholesaler
operating in Finland, and were sampled during a one-year period. We picked isolates (n ¼ 343) for
species identification based on numerical analysis of their ribotyping patterns and comparing them with
the corresponding patterns of LAB type strains. We found LAB at levels >2 log CFU/g in 68 (65%) of the
samples, with the highest counts detected from dried onion products and garlic powder with counts
ranging from 4.24 to 6.64 log CFU/g. The LAB identified were predominantly Weissella spp. (61%) and
Pediococcus spp. (15%) with Weissella confusa, Weissella cibaria, Weissella paramesenteroides, Pediococcus
acidilactici and Pediococcus pentosaceus being the species identified. Other species identified belonged to
the genera of Enterococcus spp. (8%), Leuconostoc spp. (6%) and Lactobacillus spp. (2%). Among the LAB
identified, Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and W. confusa have been associated with food
spoilage. Our findings suggest that spices and dried vegetables are potential sources of LAB contamination
in the food industry.