ABSTRACT
Background: kariesh cheese is the most popular soft cheese consumed in Egypt especially in the countryside. Some of Kariesh cheese is produced in equipped factories, but most in farmers' homes and unlicensed places not under standard requirements for hygienic food production. Cheese could be contaminated by different types of microorganisms during its production, handling, distribution and storage under unhygienic conditions. Contamination with different microorganisms causes cheese spoilage and/or foodborne illnesses
Objective[s]: to assess some microbiological parameters of Kariesh cheese, as recommended by the Egyptian standards for Kariesh cheese No.1008/2000. A comparison of Kariesh cheese samples collected from supermarkets and street vendors was carried out
Methods: a total of 270 Kariesh cheese samples were collected in the period between September 2015 and January 2016 from 3 randomly selected Alexandrian districts. Half of the samples [135] were collected from street vendors and the other half was collected from supermarkets. The microbiological tests performed were: total plate count, estimation of total and fecal coliforms, and detection of E. coli, S. aureus as well as yeasts and moulds
Results: according to the Egyptian standard No.1008/2000 for Kariesh cheese parameters, only 6% and 7% of the examined Kariesh samples were satisfactory for yeasts and moulds and total plate count respectively. As regards total coliforms and E.coli, 44% and 48% respectively of the samples were satisfactory, while 39% of the samples were satisfactory for fecal coliforms, and around 90% were for S. aureus. The mean microbial counts in all tested parameters were higher in Kariesh cheese samples sold by street vendors rather than supermarkets, and this was statistically significant
Conclusions: the microbiological parameters of Kariesh cheese in this study showed unacceptable high levels especially among street vendors' samples