Occurrence of Clostridia in Commercially Available Spices, Spice Mixtures and Herbs

The occurrence of clostridia was investigated in a total of 100 commercially available samples of spices, spice mixtures and herbs. Clostridia were isolated from 47 (47%) samples, andClostridium perfringenswas detected in 24 (24%) samples.Clostridium botulinumwas not found. None of theC. perfringensisolates tested demonstrated the enterotoxin gene. The incidence of detection was higher with the enrichment broth culture detection method using cooked meat medium than with the agar plate method or pouch method. In several cases of two or more samples of the same spice (basil, cardamon, chili powder, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, garlic, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, red pepper, thyme, turmeric and white pepper), detection of clostridia differed by maker. Moreover, in the samples of curry powder, garam masala, paprika, turmeric and white pepper, detection of clostridia was different in those from the same maker.