Roasting sunflower seeds to kill Salmonella
What it found
In lab tests, roasting sunflower seeds at 135°C for 45 minutes reduced Salmonella by more than 7-log, and the authors' risk model predicted a very low chance of illness from seeds roasted this way.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Salmonella reduction
In lab tests, roasting at 135°C for 19.2 minutes was predicted to reduce Salmonella by 5-log. Roasting for 45 minutes at 135°C gave a greater than 7-log reduction.
Other findings
Water activity and quality
Roasted sunflower seeds are usually not saleable if water activity is above 0.6. Saleable water activity of 0.03 to 0.04 was only reached after 45 minutes at 135°C.
Predicted illness risk
The risk model predicted an average chance of illness of 1.45E-07 per 28-gram serving for seeds roasted at 135°C for 20 minutes. For seeds roasted at 135°C for more than 45 minutes, the predicted average chance was 5.46E-10 per serving.
What the authors conclude
“This study demonstrates that sunflower seeds roasted to saleable parameters should not represent a public health risk from potential presence of Salmonella .”
Also in their conclusions
- They say sunflower seeds roasted to saleable parameters should not represent a public health risk from the possible presence of Salmonella.
How it was done
Outbreaks and recalls linked to nuts and seeds in the United States have risen, and 80% of these recalls are due to Salmonella. The authors wanted to check whether roasting is enough to control Salmonella during sunflower seed production.
Four Salmonella strains were put onto sunflower seeds and processed to mimic commercial manufacturing. Seeds were tumbled and roasted at 225°F (107.2°C) and 275°F (135°C) for 5 to 45 minutes, and the results were used in a risk model.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests and a computer model, not real people eating sunflower seeds.
- The risk model relies on literature values and expert opinion, so it cannot prove what happens in real life.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Rutgers University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Evaluating the Risk of Salmonellosis from Dry Roasted Sunflower Seeds
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Kottapalli B, Nguyen SPV, Dawson K, Casulli K, Knockenhauer C, Schaffner DW (2020). Evaluating the Risk of Salmonellosis from Dry Roasted Sunflower Seeds. Journal of food protection. doi:10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-19-171PubMed 31804872DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error