Control of Salmonella in wheat grains with sodium bisulfate tempering and its impact on flour quality

Background and Objectives

In the last decade, the incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls connected with wheat flour and flour-based goods infected with enteric bacteria such as Salmonella has increased. In this study, the activity of sodium bisulfate (SBS) as an antibacterial agent against four different serovars of Salmonella enterica is investigated.

Findings

The dose-dependent, anti-Salmonella concentration of SBS revealed a minimum inhibitory activity of 0.32%. At this concentration, SBS induced the production of reactive oxygen species, demonstrating that lysis of bacterial cells has occurred. SBS tempering (1.5% SBS, w/v) reduced wheat Salmonella load by 4.3 log CFU/g after 24 h of tempering. Additionally, tempering at 0% (control) and 1.5% SBS (17% moisture, 24 h) showed similar (p > .05) flour functionality (rheology and composition) and baking characteristics (volume, texture, and crumb structure).

Conclusion

These results suggest that SBS is a viable antibacterial tempering agent to reduce Salmonella contamination in wheat before milling.

Significance and Novelty

Acidic water tempering, as opposed to the traditional water tempering method, may result in milled products with improved microbiological quality.