Vacuum-steam-vacuum technology as a new approach for spice decontamination

Spices are used all over the world to prepare foods mainly because of their flavoring properties however , these are grown and harvested in warm, humid areas of the world where the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms is readily supported. A novel decontamination method, a modification of the well-known vacuum-steam-vacuum (VSV) procedures characterized by a rapid evacuation after a short-steam treatment, is presented and tested in our factory. In this method in the first step, vacuum was applied to evacuate air from the treatment chamber. A steam treatment resulted in a decontamination rate of 5-7 logs CFU. Steam vacuum systems are a combination of physical and thermal treatments. Under commercial conditions, a steam vacuuming system newly implemented after slaughtering in a cattle abattoir and used on a daily basis reduced bacterial loads on treated carcass areas to some extent, However, it is suggested that this technology be used as a new approach as a healthy and non-chemical procedure in industrial scale for decontamination of spice.

Keywords:

Vacuum-steam-vacuum , Decontamination , Spice