Pathogens control on wheat and wheat flour: A review

Abstract Background and objectives Awareness toward the microbial quality of wheat has been raised due to the foodborne illness and outbreaks associated with contaminated wheat flour. The objective is to describe the studied strategies to control the potential hazardous pathogens in wheat grain and wheat flour. Findings Before the dry milling process, adding antimicrobial agents to the tempering water has been considered. To preserve gluten integrity and functionality, nonthermal technologies have been explored. Traditional thermal food decontamination methods have also been tested. Conclusions Bacterial and mold load reductions from >1 to >5 log CFU/g have been achieved with tempering agents, without compromising flour functionality. From the nonthermal technologies, pulsed light treatments reduced Salmonella load on flour, while cold plasma was effective versus fungal conidia on grain. Regarding thermal technologies, the vacuum steam treatment reduced Escherichia coli and Salmonella populations on grain without affecting flour properties. Radio frequency heating was also effective to reduce Salmonella load on flour, but its impact on functionality was not reported. Significance and novelty Most of the decontamination methods have been tested on wheat grain. If a significant microbial load reduction is achieved, further flour contamination can be prevented. However, flour decontamination methods should continue to be explored, without compromising flour functionality.