Abstract:Ice cream is absolutely one of the most popular and favorite food product for Palestinian children and adults.However, it is one of the most favorable foods for bacterial growth and potential source of food poisoning. The main objective of this work was to determine the bacteriological quality of packaged ice cream sold in Gaza city. One hundred samples of traditional sealed packaged ice cream were collected randomly from 20 different food stores of Gaza city. The samples represented all types of ice cream products in the local markets; they included chocolate, fruits, nuts and fruits flavor types. Bacteriological quality was assessed through the examination of collected ice cream samples for total aerobic count, coliform and fecal coliform, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter sakazakii, Escherichia coli, Listeria ivanovii and L. grayi. Results revealed that many ice cream samples were contaminated with coliform, fecal coliform, E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, E. sakazakii, L. grayi and L. ivanovii. Repeated electricity shuts for long periods in addition to poor handling of such perishable products may be the cause of their contamination. It is recommended to launch awareness programs to minimize the contamination of ice cream products.

A total of 72 samples of luncheon meat were randomly collected from different retail outlets in Giza city, Egypt. The samples were examined chemically for moisture content, total ash content and thiobarbituric acid (TBA); and microbiologically for the count of total aerobes, total mould and yeast, psychrophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella and Shigella. As well, most probable number (MPN) count was performed for coliform and E. coli. The mean values of moisture content, total ash content and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) for the examined samples were 59.84%, 3.43% and 0.64 mg/kg, respectively. For total aerobes, total mould and yeast, Psychrophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella and Shigella the mean values were 5.48, 3.91, 4.07, 2.34, 3.87 and 0 log cfu/g sample, respectively. The MPN count of coliforms varied greatly in positive samples from 6.20 to 460 and from 3 to 43 MPN/g sample respectively. According to the Egyptian standards, most of the examined samples (100%) had Salmonella and Shigella values complied with limits of the standard. As for total aerobic, Staphylococcus aureus total mould and yeast counts 79.19, 90.27 and 19.4% of the examined samples were not complied with the standards. The results declared that the hygienic quality of luncheon meat available in Giza retail markets is not satisfactory and not comply with the standards.