Could you instead sterilize the garlic before use? Moisture level generally has strong effects on microorganism survival. Another example is B. cereus spores (

Could you instead sterilize the garlic before use? Moisture level generally has strong effects on microorganism survival. Another example is B. cereus spores (can be present in rice) which can remain viable in boiling water for extended periods and are even more heat resistant in dry environments. I was a bit surprised by the extremely high temperature claimed by the article linked in my previous comment. I'm still wondering if perhaps they accidentally swapped C and F in the units there, but I didn't have much luck tracking down a time-temperature survival curve for salmonella under dry conditions.