No abstract

Aero-dynamic and mechanical properties such as terminal velocity, Reynold's No., drag coefficient, coefficient of friction, repose angle and seeds hardness for three different oil producing crops (sunflower, soybean and canola) were determined at five different levels of seeds moisture content; while, shear force and shear stress of soybean hulls and cotyledons were also determined at the proper moisture content for oil extraction. The obtained results show that, for aerodynamic properties, both of terminal velocity and Reynold's Number of all studied crops increased linearly with the increase of seeds moisture content. While, drag coefficient decreased with the increase of terminal velocity. However, coefficient of friction was varied with seeds moisture content and type of friction surface. Also, it was increased with the increase of seeds moisture content. Meanwhile, stainless steel surface recorded the lowest values of friction coefficient whereas the rubber surface recorded the highest values. Also, the angle of repose increased with the increasing of moisture content. While, seed hardness decreased with the increase of moisture content. However, both of shear force and shear stress of soybean hulls and cotyledons were higher in the longitudinal direction as compared with the lateral direction.Mathematical relationships were also developed for the different studied crops to relate the change in seeds moisture content with the obtained values of all aerodynamics and mechanical properties.

Cross-contamination of animal carcasses and their contact surfaces at any stage of meat handling is one major aspect in production of meat of high keeping quality. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the hygienic status of the animal carcasses (cattle, buffaloes, camel and sheep) and their contact surfaces (cutting boards, walls, knives, and butcher hands) in butchery shops among urban and rural areas in Sharkia province, Egypt. Microbial indicators for the hygienic measures adopted at butchery shops including total bacterial counts (TBC), total Enterobacteriacae counts (TEC), most probable number (MPN) of coliforms, total Staphylococcus aureus counts (TSC), total mould counts (TMC) and total yeast counts (TYC) were investigated. The results achieved in this study declared that cross-contamination of animal carcasses and their contact surfaces is well-observed and should be considered as an important factor that should be included in the microbiological risk assessments. Therefore, we recommend adoption of strict hygienic measures in all handling steps of animal carcasses.

The current study was carried out to minimize the Egyptian wheat grain losses in quantity and deterioration of quality during open field storage by innovative and economic method. This method based on efficient control of moisture, moulds & insects in wheat grains during storage in three different types of poly-ethylene bags with different materials structure and film thicknesses of 90, 120 and 140 microns. The developed bags were compared with the traditional burlap storage bags. Freshly harvested wheat grain variety (Gemmiza-9) was used for the experimental work. The wheat samples were harvested from the Experimental Farm of the Rice Mechanization Center (R.M.C) at Meet El-Dyba, Kafr El-Sheikh governorate during (2014)(2015) wheat harvesting seasons. Quality changes of wheat grain stored in different types of bags were measured to assess the most proper type of bags for large scale storage process. The results show that: Storing wheat grain in storage bags (Type 2 and 3) did not create a lethal environment for insects, molds and total microbial load.Wheat grain at (M.C less than 13% w.b.) could be stored in the developed plastic bags (Type 2 and 3) for more than six months without losing the grain quality and also without fumigation process for insect control. Poly-Eythelene bags (type 3) give more moisture sealing and less permeability for CO 2 in comparison with other types of bags and thereby it can safely store the grain for longer storage duration.Further tests for both storage bags Type 2 and 3 are recommended to assure larger scale storage and longer storage time.

B acillus cereus is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that induces food poisoning in the forms of emetic and diarrheal syndromes (Kim et al., 2009; Arslan et al., 2014). The syndrome of diarrhea usually occurs within 8-16 hours after consumption of contaminated food (Park et al., 2009). The pathogen is widely distributed in different types of foods comprising cooked rice, vegetables, fish, meat, and milk products (Dzieciol et al., 2013). Raw meat and meat products are relevant sources of animal protein in the diet; therefore, the contamination of fresh meat and meat products with B. cereus represents a severe public health hazard. A presence of B. cereus (10 3-10 5 CFU/gm) poses a moderate risk to initiate cases of food poisoning (Rajkovic et al., 2013). Food poisoning occurs because B. cereus spores could survive the processes of cooking and pasteurization. If the food is not adequately refrigerated, and there is a lack of competitive flora, the bacterium germinates and multiply (Kramer and Gilbert, 1989). B. cereus spores are resistant to adverse environmental conditions; it could access food of animal and plant origin and, therefore, could contaminate products of milk and meat products (Granum, 1994; Larsen and Jorgensen, 1997). The bacterium is usually associated with food poisoning and diarrhea due to the release of heatlabile enterotoxins (Granum, 1994; Forghani, 2015). The enterotoxins are comprised of hemolysin BL (Hbl), non