Assessment of Microbiological Quality of Some Gamma Irradiated Indian Spices

Irradiated (10 kGy) and unirradiated pre-packed whole and ground spices including black pepper, red chilli, and turmeric were examined by six different laboratories for microbiological quality. No colony forming units (CFU) were reported in the largest quantity of irradiated spices used in the study by three out of six laboratories. The other three laboratories reported counts ranging between 0–90 CFU/g in irradiated samples. None of the six laboratories reported the presence of E. coli or B. cereus in the spices exposed to gamma irradiation. These data suggest that a standard plate count of 0–100 CFU/g and a count of zero CFU/g for E. coli and B. cereus be fixed for spices exposed to a 10 kGy dose of gamma rays.