Spices of course can be contaminated with various pathogens due to the process of growing harvest and drying. Spices are more and more harvested and handled with keeping pathogens at low levels. Spices are usually treated in one of the following ways but does not 100% guarantee they are pathogen free: (1) gas flushing, (2) steam pasteurization, (3) irradiation and (4)dry heat treatments.
My client is using a roasting process (DRY HEAT (4)) and does not have the capacity to incorporate a steam pasteurizer. They rely on dry heat. So no changing the process to deal with this hazard is not possible.
The products include: Curry Masala, Butter Masala for (butter chicken), Garam Masala and many others spice blends. These spices are packaged and sold to consumers as a spice blend so they can do meals at home. Use the spice blend to marinate protein of their choice and make an Indian meal at home.
Also these spice blends are used to make the actual sauce (Curry, Butter Chicken Sauce) on site, which is used on site to package a ready meal of rice, sauce, fully cooked chicken. The meals are frozen and the consumer reheats them at home. Sauce cooking is effective at killing the non spore forming pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria) so this is good. Spore formers is not a problem with sauces as they are cooled rapidly in a blast freezer plus the meals are frozen for distribution and sale.
Back to spice blend. They are dry so no moisture is available to support pathogen growth. Spices are packaged in a sealed barrier plastic pouch package so moisture getting into the spice blend is not possible so that controls outgrowth of any viable organisms (spores).
The previous HAACP consultant had defined a CCP Critical Limit for dry heating of spices to be: Heat spices to 90C and hold for 30 seconds. This may seem extreme temperatures but this is the way these spice blends are made and they are pretty good.
I am not sure the dry heat is effective at killing Salmonella which may find protective effects because there is no moisture to destroy those organisms. I cannot find any data to help support that this Dry Heating CL is effective. Any studies or validation data would be greatly appreciated.
Can anyone help with my question. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks, Daryl