Abstract:

Generally, spices, herbs and condiments are vegetable products or mixtures thereof, which are added to foods in small quantities to give them taste, flavour, aroma, smell, colour, and also to improve their conservation (PETER et al, 2006 [30]). For herbs the leaves are used, which contain flavour components, whereas spices store useful compounds in seeds, bark, and roots (OGBUNUGAFOR et al, 2017 [25]). However, terminology is less well defined, so herbs and spices may be used interchangeably, and it's accepted that they may be made from leaves, seeds, bark, roots, fruits, blossoms, stems, tubers, or bulbs (PEARSON et al, 1984 [29]; SOSPEDRA et al, 2010 [35]).  These ingredients are used in the meat industry with different purposes: (i) to increase the variety of meat products, (ii) to potentiate the natural flavour of the meat, (iii) to give them a pleasant, appetizing or spicy taste, and (iv) to extend their shelf life (DUNCAN et al, 2017 [10]; GADEKAR et al, 2006 [12]). For some meat products, especially for traditional ones, certain ingredients confer the culinary specificity, a characteristic appreciated by consumers, on which, frequently, commercial selection is made (BENKERROUM et al, 2013 [4]; FRANCESCA et al, 2013 [11]; PETE et al, 2006 [30]). However, spices and herbs are potential source of microbial contamination for the foods in which they are added, as they are exposed to multiple sources of contamination during pre- and post-harvesting, transporting, processing, handling and storage conditions (BANERJEE et al, 2003 [3]; PAFUMI et al, 1986 [28]; VITULLO et al, 2011 [37]). Previous studies conducted at the level of different production units, of several countries, including Romania (ITTU et al, 2004 [19]; MAN et al, 2016 [24]; SALA et al, 2016 [32]), have demonstrated that spices can be an important vehicle for food-borne pathogens (BANERJEE et al, 2003 [3]; KŁĘBUKOWSKA et al, 2015 [23]; PETER et al, 2006 [30]; ZWEIFEL et al, 2012 [39]), and different bacterial and fungal origin microorganisms and/or mycotoxins. This fact can result in important economic losses derived from hospitalizations in case of foodborne outbreaks, as well as batch confiscations if the hazard is identified during the self-control process of the food producer. Overall, the results of previously conducted studies highlighted the necessity of the continuous monitoring of the safety of these products in order to evaluate the public health risk that is posed and to reduce the economic losses for the food producer.