Estimating the Microbial Safety and Sensory Characteristics of Some Imported Dairy Products Retailed in the Egyptian Markets

Abstract

Intensive dairy products' usage, recent growth of globalization and the widespread of international trade mandate the microbial evaluation of the imported dairy products. In the present study, ninety random samples of imported milk powder, labneh and cheddar cheese from New Zealand, Ireland, Turkey, Poland, Netherlands, European Union and Switzerland were collected from the Egyptian markets then were investigated organoleptically and microbiologically. The sensory evaluation revealed that the majority of the examined labneh and cheddar cheese got excellent and good scores, while 90 % of milk powder samples got good scores, based on the overall acceptability scale. The mean titratable acidity percentages of milk powder, labneh and cheddar cheese samples were 0.169 ± 0.018, 0.935 ± 0.046 and 0.197 ± 0.013, respectively. Microbiological examinations revealed that all the examined samples were highly contaminated with aerobic mesophilic bacteria observed in milk powder and cheddar cheese with non-significant difference (p=0.408). Aerobic spore formers were recovered from in 50%, 66.67% and 86.67% of the tested samples with a significant difference between the mean count of milk powder and that of labneh and cheddar cheese (P> 0.05). 66.67% of milk powder samples were contaminated with coliforms, followed by cheddar cheese (43.33%) and labneh (23.33%), E. coli could be isolated from milk powder samples, while Salmonella species couldn't be detected in any of the examined samples. Staphylococci were recovered from most of the examined milk powder (83.33%), cheddar cheese (93.33%), and nearly half of the examined labneh (46.67%) samples, with non-significant differences between that of milk powder and labneh (p=0.572), and cheddar cheese (p=0.345). the majority of cheddar cheese (83.33%) and labneh (63.33%) samples were contaminated with yeast and mold. Additionally, proteolytic and lipolytic organisms were present nearly in most of the examined samples, which resulted in lowering the flavor and texture scores of the tested products. Finally, public awareness targeting the imported companies and good hygienic practices should be fullfilled during handling, packaging, storage and distribution.

Effect of Different Air Oven Temperatures on Chemical, Physical, and Microbial Properties of Dried Bio-Yoghurt Product

“…Furthermore, pH, total acidity %, viscosity, water-holding capacity (WHC), and hygroscopicity were measured at 0, 1, 2, and 3 month intervals while the dried yoghurt samples were stored in polyethylene bags in the refrigerator at a temperature of 7 ± 2 • C and a humidity of 30-50% [20,21]. The enumeration of the initial bacterial population in the dried yoghurt was conducted throughout the duration of its storage [22].…”

Lactoferrin's potential application in enhancing yoghurt's microbial and sensory qualities, with emphasis on the starter culture activity

“…In the United Kingdom, there were an estimated 2.4 million instances of food-borne gastroenteritis in 2018, with 16 300 cases requiring hospitalization and more than 180 deaths (Jenkins et al ., 2022). S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella species, and B. cereus are the most prevalent microorganisms isolated in the previous studies (Abdel-Salam and Soliman, 2019; Atia et al ., 2020; Adam et al ., 2021; Halim et al ., 2022; Taher et al ., 2022; Nadi et al ., 2023). In addition, P. aeruginosa is the leading cause of spoiled dairy products; it releases thermo-tolerant proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes that impact dairy product quality and shelf life (Eleboudy et al ., 2015; Ahmed et al ., 2021).…”