Showcasing the potential of Pulse Spray Drying for infant foods from the food safety perspective

This study evaluated Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8042 as a non-pathogenic surrogate for Salmonella to assess the effect of a new Pulse Spray Drying (PSD) technology in infant cereal-based food (CBF) and powdered infant formula (PIF). The pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg ATCC 43845 was used for comparison. Thermal inactivation kinetics were determined for both organisms in CBF and PIF at three a_w levels. Subsequently, P. acidilactici was inoculated into both matrices and subjected to PSD at varying outlet temperatures. Microbial inactivation and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and acrylamide formation were measured. A statistically significant linear correlation was found between the LogD_T values of P. acidilactici and Salmonella across all conditions. The surrogate consistently showed higher thermal resistance, with D_T values averaging 4.42 times greater than those of the pathogen. These findings support the use of P. acidilactici ATCC 8042 as a conservative surrogate for Salmonella. PSD achieved microbial reductions of approximately 2–4 log, depending on outlet temperature. Levels of HMF and acrylamide were comparable to those reported in commercial products. These findings underscore PSD’s potential as a safe and effective drying technology for infant foods, offering a valuable tool for food industry aiming to improve microbial safety without compromising product quality.