This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.14110. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Full Title Evaluation of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a Surrogate for Salmonella During Extrusion of Low-Moisture Food. Name(s) of Author(s) Tushar Verma 1 , Xinyao Wei 1 , Soon Kiat Lau 1 , Andreia Bianchini 1,2 , Kent M. Eskridge 3 , Jeyamkondan Subbiah 1,4, * Author Affiliation(s) 1 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68508, U.S.A 2 The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68508, U.S.A 3 Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, U.S.A 4 Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68583-0526, U.S.A Contact information for Corresponding Author *Corresponding author: Dr. Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Kenneth E. Morrison Distinguished Professor of Food Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering and Food Science & Technology Departments, 210 L.W. Chase Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583 USA. Tel: +1-402-472-4944; Fax: 402-472-1693; E-mail: jeyam.subbiah@unl.edu Word count of text 7,094 words Short version of title Validation of Extrusion Processing Choice of journal/section Food Microbiology and Safety Previous address(es) N/A Author disclosures N/A ABSTRACT: Salmonella in low-moisture foods is an emerging challenge due to numerous food product recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. Identification of suitable surrogate is critical for process validation at industry level due to implementation of new Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. The objective of this study was to evaluate Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a surrogate for Salmonella during the extrusion of low-moisture food. Oat