## 3 Discussion
and environmental (_Brachybacterium_ spp.) bacteria as well as soil- (_Devosaic_ spp.) and plant-associated (_Erwinia_ spp., _Sphingomonas_ spp.) microorganisms were detected. Members of the genera _Erwinia_, _Pseudomonas_, and _Bacillus_ have previously been isolated from herbs and spices [13; 46]. A few of the genera identified in this study are also known to include species involved in the development of human diseases, including _Bacillus_[47], _Propionibacterium_[48], _Sphingomonas_[49], and _Pseudomonas_[50]. Regarding the detection of bacilli ascribed to _Bacillus_ spp., most species within this genus are nonpathogenic; however, _Bacillus cereus_ is the causative agent of diarrheal and emetic food poisoning syndromes [47]. More specifically, _B. cereus_ spores can survive a wide range of cooking temperatures and grow in foods seasoned with herbs and spices at room temperature, thus leading to the exposure of consumers to the risk of food poisoning [13]. Of note, most bacterial taxa identified in the present investigation include mesophilic microorganisms. More specifically, the family Methylobacteriaceae includes mesophilic bacteria with optimum growth temperature of 30 \({}^{\circ}\)C [51; 52]. Most species within the genus _Sphingomonas_ grow in a temperature range from 15 to 35 \({}^{\circ}\)C, with optimum at 25-28 \({}^{\circ}\)C, although some other species in the same genus can grow at higher temperatures (around 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C) [53]. Members of the genus _Propionibacterium_ grow in the range from 30 to 37 \({}^{\circ}\)C [54], whereas _Bacillus_ spp. are generally characterized by optimum growth temperatures ranging between 25 and 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C [47]. This evidence might explain the growth of these bacteria during RTD, OD, and FD, as seems to be suggested by the results of viable plate counting. In terms of mycobiota, a core of 13 genera was stably detected in the samples of dried sea fennel spices, including ubiquitous (_Aureobasidium_) and phytopathogenic (_Cladosporium_) molds and unconventional (_Sporobolomyces_, _Protonyces_, _Filobasidium_, _Konda_), plant-associated (_Symmetrospora_, _Vishniacozyma_), phytopathogenic (_Protonyces_, _Thelebolus_), ubiquitous (_Cryptococcus_), mycoparasitic (_Cystobasidium_), or food-associated yeasts (_Rlodorula_). Other genera were detected in a few samples, namely _Alternaria_, _Tilletiopsis_, _Debaryomyces_, _Penicillium_, and _Taphrina_. A few genera identified in this study, like _Cladosporium_[55] and _Cryptococcus_[56], include human pathogens. _Rlodorula_ and _Penicillium_ have previously been identified as contaminants in herbs and spices [57]. The genus _Rlodorula_ includes yeast species that are capable of biosynthesizing lipids, carotenoids, and enzymes [58], whereas members of the genus _Penicillium_ are capable of producing mycotoxins, such as _Penicillium_ _errucosum_ and _Penicillium_ _nordicum_, both producing ochratoxin A [59], a mycotoxin characterized by carcinogenic, immunotoxic, and nephrotoxic properties [60]. _Symmetrospora_, the most frequently detected yeast in the samples analyzed in this study, is characterized by optimum growth temperature in the range from 20 to 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C [61]; a previous investigation showed a decrease in these microorganisms as temperature increased during drying of tobacco leaves [62]. This evidence agrees well with the results of viable plate counting, which showed a reduction in the yeast population when OD and MD were applied to sea fennel leaves. Similarly, for the mold _Cladosporium_, the maximum growth temperature is 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C, while temperatures as high as 45 \({}^{\circ}\)C inhibit the growth of this microorganism [63]. Finally, the genus _Thelebolus_ includes molds characterized by optimal growth temperature ranging from 4 to 15 \({}^{\circ}\)C, but some strains can grow at higher temperatures up to 45 \({}^{\circ}\)C [64]. Regarding the CIELab color parameters of dried sea fennel, the data collected in this study for OD, MD, and FD agreed with the data reported in previous studies.