reported hulling water with E. coli levels
of 4.3 log CFU/ml at a black walnut (Juglans nigra) facility. Walnuts
leaving the rock tank are often rinsed with potable water or sometimes
with water containing an antimicrobial such as peroxiacetic acid.
Even so, aerobic plate counts and coliform counts of more than 6 and
5 log CFU/nut, respectively, before dehydration are not uncommon
(Blessington, 2011; Frelka and Harris, unpublished).