A study published in the Journal of Food Protection shows that pathogens, like Salmonella, may be able to survive for at least six months in cookies and crackers. The study was prompted by an increased number of outbreaks of foodborne diseases linked to low-water-activity, or dry, foods.
The researchers used five different serotypes of Salmonella that had been isolated from foods involved in previous foodborne outbreaks. Focusing on cookie and cracker sandwiches, the researchers put the Salmonella into four types of fillings found in cookies or crackers and placed them into storage. The researchers used cheese and peanut butter fillings for the cracker sandwiches and chocolate and vanilla fillings for the cookie sandwiches. After storing, the scientists determined how long Salmonella was able to survive in each filling.
The researcher found that Salmonella survived longer in some types of the fillings than in others; it didn’t survive as well in the cracker sandwiches as it did in the cookie sandwiches. In some cases, the pathogen was able to survive for up to six months in the sandwiches.
“The next steps would be to test all ingredients that are used in these foods,” said Larry Beuchat, a distinguished professor emeritus and researcher in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. If there is a possibility that foodborne pathogens are present in specific ingredients, then the next step would be to stop the use of those ingredients.
