AIB International Kill Step Validation Research to be Published

The study “Comparison of survival and heat resistance of Escherichia coli O121 and Salmonella in muffins”, conducted by AIB International’s expert Dr. Kantha Channaiah, will be published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology, March 2020 edition.

Dr. Kantha Channaiah, AIB International’s director of microbiology, is recognized for its important scientific contributions on kill step validation study. His study highlights invaluable research conducted to validate a simulated commercial baking process for plain muffins against E. coli O121 contamination – strains isolated and shared by the FDA from the illness outbreak associated with a recent flour recall. Additionally, Dr. Channaiah’s study compares the thermal resistance and inactivation parameters (D- and z- values) with Salmonella in muffin batter. 

“I am very pleased to see the publication of this important research comparing the thermal inactivation parameters of cocktails of four isolates of E. coli O121 and three serovars of Salmonella (Newport, Typhimurium, and Senftenberg) in plain muffin batter. I strongly believe that the thermal resistance and inactivation parameters (D- and z- values) of E. coli O121 and Salmonella determined in this study will be useful in the validation and optimization of commercial muffin baking processes,” Dr. Channaiah said. 

Kill step validation of preventive control is a crucial component of a baking facility’s food safety plan. AIB International offers interactive kill step calculators that take recorded time and temperature readings, calculating the total process lethality for Salmonella destruction. A report is then generated that can be used as supporting documentation for FSMA’s validation requirement. 

The calculators are simple to use and invaluable to ensuring the production of safe food. Anyone can download the resource from AIB International website.