Microbial contaminants in powdered infant formula: what is the impact of spray-drying on microbial inactivation?

Author(s)

Lang, Emilie ^[1] ; Sant'Ana, Anderson S. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Food Engn, Dept Food Sci & Nutr, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CURRENT OPINION IN FOOD SCIENCE; v. 42, p. 195-202, DEC 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

In December 2017, the world was following a news story about a Salmonella enterica outbreak linked to infant formula produced in France. The outbreak resulted in a massive recall and destruction of more than 12 million infant formula packages, shook consumer's confidence, and raised the question about processing practices. In addition to Salmonella, other pathogens are found in milk powder and among them Cronobacter sakazakii is known to provoke several cases of neonate infection every year. The microbial safety of milk powder has a central importance in public health due to its role in numerous other food industries and its use to make infant formulas. Salmonella and Cronobacter are frequently associated with outbreaks involving powdered infant formula and milk powder-based products. Nevertheless, to date, their ability to survive desiccation and spray-drying is more and more understood but not fully elucidated and needs further investigation. This review presents recent information regarding milk powder's food safety and powdered infant formula and how spray-drying can impact microbial inactivation in these foods. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/16209-2 - Salmonella and Cronobacter sakazakii in milk and infant formula: behavior during spray drying and determination of inactivation parameters based on single droplet approach
• Grantee: Emilie Lang
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral