| Recent recalls and outbreaks have raised public awareness of herbs and spices as a potential vehicle for foodborne illness. As an initial step towards risk management, quantitative microbial risk assessment models were developed to estimate the potential for spices to cause illness in two high risk food-pathogen combinations. The models simulated contamination levels and prevalence in primary and spice ingredients separately during preparation and storage stages, taking into account intrinsic and extrinsic factors which allowed for changes in levels of contamination over time. Per serving and per annum risk estimates illustrated the relative potential for spices to contribute to illness for different scenarios and can be used to identify strategies for minimizing risk. Model sensitivity analysis suggested that initial contamination and storage periods were the most influential variables in terms of affecting overall rate of illness. The reliability of the model, data gaps, and areas for future research were discussed. |
