DOI - Vydavatelství Mendelovy univerzity v Brně

Identifikátory DOI

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-100-6-0099

MICROBIOLOGICAL STABILITY OF DRIED MARJORAM DURING STORAGE: THE ROLE OF WATER ACTIVITY AND PACKAGING

Justyna Ja¶niewicz1, Dominika Matuszek1, Ewa Polańczyk1, Łukasz Biłos1, Jessica ¦wierc1, Żaneta Grzywacz1, Anna Hnydiuk-Stefan2, Krzysztof Barabosz3
1 Katedra Inżynierii Biosystemów i Procesów Chemicznych, Wydział Inżynierii Produkcji i Logistyki, Politechnika Opolska, ul. Mikołajczyka 5, 45-271 Opole, Poland
2 Katedra Inżynierii Procesowej i ¦rodowiska, Wydział Mechaniczny, Politechnika Opolska, ul. Mikołajczyka 5, 45-271 Opole, Poland
3 Szkoła Doktorska, Wydział Mechaniczny, Politechnika Opolska, ul. Mikołajczyka 5, 45-271 Opole, Poland

The aim of the study was to evaluate the microbiological stability of dried marjoram during a 6-month storage period under controlled conditions (20 °C, RH 50 ± 5%) and to determine the role of water activity and packaging type (paper vs. foil). Microbiological determinations were performed on the stored material for Bacillus cereus, Clostridium spp. and moulds. Due to the lack of possibility of reliable colony counting in a part of the samples, the results were analysed using a qualitative 0/1 system (presence/absence). The most frequently detected microorganisms were Clostridium spp. spores, whereas detections of B. cereus and moulds were sporadic and showed no time trend. During the same period, water activity and total water content were determined. The water activity of marjoram remained within the range typical for low-aw products (0.35–0.61), which mechanistically explains the observed microbiological stability. Under the tested conditions, no systematic influence of packaging type on the frequency of microorganism detection was found.

Klíčová slova: marjoram, water activity, packaging, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium spp., moulds

stránky: 99-106, online: 2026



Reference

  1. PN-EN ISO 21871:2007 - Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the determination of small numbers of presumptive Bacillus cereus.
  2. Nissui Pharmaceutical - CompactDry BC Technical Documentation.
  3. PN-ISO 15213:2005 - Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the enumeration of sulfite-reducing bacteria growing under anaerobic conditions.
  4. PN-ISO 21527-2:2009 - Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts and moulds - Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95.
  5. ISO 18787:2017 - Determination of water activity.
  6. PN-91/R-87019 - Herbal raw materials - sampling and test methods
  7. Banerjee, M., Sarkar, P. K. (2003): Microbiological Quality of Some Retail Spices in India. Food Research International, 36 (December), 469-474. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0963-9969(02)00194-1 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  8. Beuchat, L. (1981): Microbial Stability as Affected by Water Activity. Cereal Foods World, July 1. Available at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Microbial-stability-as-affected-by-water-activity.-Beuch at/b9338c944213231682a70381926d5d28c7dd4603
  9. Beuchat, L. R., Komitopoulou, E., Beckers, B. et al. (2013): Low-Water Activity Foods: Increased Concern as Vehicles of Foodborne Pathogens. Journal of Food Protection, 76 (1), 150-172. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-211 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  10. Cicero, N., Gervasi, T., Durazzo, A. et al. (2022): Mineral and Microbiological Analysis of Spices and Aromatic Herbs. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 11 (4), 548. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11040548. Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  11. Fogele, B., Granta, R., Valciņa, O., Bērziņą, A. (2018): Occurrence and Diversity of Bacillus Cereus and Moulds in Spices and Herbs. Food Control, 83 (January), 69-74. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2017.05.038 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  12. García, S., Iracheta, F., Galván, F., Heredia, N. (2001): Microbiological Survey of Retail Herbs and Spices from Mexican Markets. Journal of Food Protection, 64 (1), 99-103. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028x-64.1.99 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  13. International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF), (2018). Microorganisms in Foods 7. Springer International Publishing. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68460-4 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  14. Karam, L., Salloum, T., El Hage, R., Hassan, H., Hassan, H. F. (2021): How Can Packaging, Source and Food Safety Management System Affect the Microbiological Quality of Spices and Dried Herbs? The Case of a Developing Country. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 353 (September), 109295. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109295 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  15. McKee, L. H. (1995): Microbial Contamination of Spices and Herbs: A Review. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 28 (1), 1-11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-6438(95)80004-2 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  16. Rahman, M. S. (2009): Food Stability beyond Water Activity and Glass Transtion: Macro-Micro Region Concept in the State Diagram. International Journal of Food Properties, 12 (4), 726-740. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10942910802628107 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  17. Robertson, G. L. (2016): Food Packaging: Principles and Practice, Third Edition. 3rd edn. CRC Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1201/b21347 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  18. Schweiggert, U., Carle, R., Schieber, A. (2007): Conventional and Alternative Processes for Spice Production - a Review. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 18 (5), 260-268. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2007.01.005 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
  19. Witkowska, A. M., Hickey, D. K., Alonso-Gomez, M., Wilkinson, M. G. (2011): The Microbiological Quality of Commercial Herb and Spice Preparations Used in the Formulation of a Chicken Supreme Ready Meal and Microbial Survival Following a Simulated Industrial Heating Process. Food Control, 22 (3), 616-25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.10.014 Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Návrat zpět