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M .A .A . GA SS E M. 1999. Traditional bread (khamir) was made from sorghum flour of two local varieties, Bayadh and Hamra. The bread was prepared by mixing the sorghum flour with water and spices (onion, garlic, lemon juice and fenugreek) in a 1:0·8 (w/w) ratio and fermented for 24 h at 30°C. Two other fermentations were carried out using an inoculum from the previous fermentation. The micro-organisms were isolated from different plates and identified using different characterization systems. Both total bacterial populations and lactic acid bacteria increased with fermentation time and reached the highest number at 16 h (first fermentation) and at 8 h (second and third fermentation). The content of lactic acid was increased with time to reach 1·2%, but the increase was higher for the second and third fermentations (1·6% each). The pH dropped with time from 6·77 to 4·35 in the first fermentation and from 6·65 to 4·18, and 6·57-3·93, in the second and third fermentations, respectively. The microorganisms, which were isolated and characterized during the 24 h fermentation,

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The Hout-Kasef is traditional salted fermented fish product of natural fermentation of salted mullet fish of coastal area of Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The present study was carried out to investigate the microbiological and chemical characteristic of Hout-Kasef. A total of twenty-four salted fish samples were purchased from fish market in Jazan and Abu-Arish at different times of the year. The microbial studies of salted-fermented fish revealed a total bacterial count ranging from 2.81 to 4.72 Log10 CFU/g, yeast and mold counts ranging from 0.48 to 3.14 Log10 CFU/g, total staphylococci count 2.71–3.85 Log10 CFU/g, halophile bacteria count 3.26–5.14 Log10 CFU/g, and coliforms count <1 Log10 CFU/g. However, pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio spp., Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia species were not detected. The major bacteria species isolated and identified from the salted fermented fish were Bacillus Subtilus, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus saprophticus and Staphylococcus cahnii subsp cahnii. The chemical analysis of salted fermented fish showed high content of moisture (47.96%), protein (25.71%), ash (19.6%) and salt (15.19%) but low contents of lipid (7.25%). The salted-fermented fish also showed high level of total volatile basic nitrogen (78.86 mg/100 gm sample) and thiobarbutric acid number (32.32 mg malonaldehyde/kg) with a pH value of pH 6.3. Finally, this study showed the presence of gram positive and gram negative bacteria in the fish product. The predominant microorganisms found were Bacillus and Staphylococcus spp. The fish product had high content of salt and TVB-N levels.

This study investigated the chemical composition, in vivo antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic potential of Ajwa date polyphenol extract (DPE). Chemical analysis revealed that the Ajwa dates contain substantial amounts of carbohydrates, energy, potassium, iron, polyphenols, and flavonoids. In vivo studies showed that feeding rats with cholesterol‐rich diets significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased their body and liver weights, total cholesterol (TC), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), very‐low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL‐C), and triglycerides (TG) in plasma and liver, and reduced the high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) content and antioxidant enzyme activities. However, oral administration of 25, 50, and 100 mg DPE/kg body weight to hypercholestrolemic rats, significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced their body and liver weights, total hepatic cholesterol, LDL‐C, VLDL‐C, and triglycerides. Furthermore, treatment with DPE improved (p ≤ 0.05) the HDL‐C concentration and antioxidant enzyme activity in a concentration‐dependent fashion, thereby regulating lipid profiles, enhancing the antioxidant defense system. Overall, DPE showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) nutritional, antioxidants, and antihyperlipidemic benefits. Practical applications Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenol have shown to exert cardio‐protective effect. This work revealed that phenolic extracts of Ajwa dates have positive impacts on the health as it reduced TC, LDL‐C, and lipids VLDL‐C and improved HDL‐C and the antioxidant defense system in rats. The findings of this study could aid in the profound understanding of the nutritional and health potentials of Ajwa dates and thus could help in utilization of these valuable fruits for the prevention and curing of cardiovascular diseases.