Evaluation of the level of micronutrients in fortified foods in Alexandria, Egypt

Food fortification is an effective, low-cost way to eliminate dietary micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. This study in Egypt aimed to evaluate the levels of and variations in fortification with iron, iodine and vitamin A in food products from different manufacturers. Almost all iodized salt samples contained iodine concentrations within Egyptian standards. The iron content of iron-fortified biscuits supplied to schools and of vitamin-A-fortified margarine, infant formula milk powder and infant cereal food were highly variable and many samples were not within Egyptian standards. Monitoring of fortification levels of key products is required at the factory, retail and household levels

Assessment of safety of frozen foods

This cross-section study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of 90 frozen food samples [50 samples of raw frozen vegetables including molokeya, okra green peas, peas + carrot and artichoke], 20 of frozen poultry products and 20 of frozen meat products as well as to assess the level of women practice during handling. The results showed that the mean aerobic mesophilic plate count of the frozen vegetables was 3.4 x 105 +or- 7.3 x 105 cfu/g. The mean mold and yeast count was 3.9 x 103 +/- 1.1 x 104 cfu/g. The mean coliform count was 3.9 x 10 +/- 6.6 x 10 m.o./g. In case of meat product, the mean aerobic count was 2.3 x 105 +/- 3.2 x 105, that of mold and yeast was 2.5 x 105 +/- 8.8 x 105 cfu/g and that of coliform was 3.2 x 102 +/- 3.8 x 102 m.o./g. On, the other hand, poultry products had a mean aerobic count of 6.8 x 105 +/- 1.6 x 106, a mean mold and yeast count of 3.5 x 105 +/- 7.4 x 105 cfu/g and a mean coliform count of 6.4 x 102 +/- 5.2 x 102 m.o./g. Fecal coliforms were detected only in 60.0% of meat product samples and in 45.0% of poultry product samples. On the other hand, Staph. aureus was detected only in 10.0% of poultry product samples. The difference between the five types of vegetables was statistically significant for total plate and mold and yeasts counts. Among the 113 interviewed women, 80 used frozen food products, 26 of them had scores <50%, those were classified as being bad as they were handling frozen food improperly which would contribute to the outbreaks of food borne diseases. Less than 4% of the users used satisfactory practice during handling frozen foods. Illiteracy affected significantly the level of practice

Application of hazard analysis and critical control point system in the dairy industry

This study aimed to assess the hygiene quality of some packaged milk [pasteurized or sterilized] and dairy products before and after application of a hazard analysis and critical control point [HACCP] system at a milk and dairy products company in Cairo, Egypt. The steps taken to put HACCP in place are described and the process was monitored to assess its impact. Assessment of the hygiene quality of the milk and dairy products before and after HACCP showed an improvement in quality and an overall improvement in the conditions at the company

Hygienic and sanitary conditions of street vendors in Alexandria

This work aimed to assess the knowledge and hygienic practices of the street-food vendors while preparing their foods. A total of 50 street vendors were selected randomly from different districts in Alexandria.An interview questionnaire together with a sanitation checklist were constructed testing the knowledge and evaluating the hygienic conditions of the street-food vendors, respectively. In the mean time samples of food were collected from every tested street food vendor and analysed microbiologically. Temperatures of the tested street food samples were measured. Only 8% of the street food vendors were found to have acceptable grades [over 65%] according to their hygienic knowledge, whereas observation of the hygienic conditions showed that the 50 tested vendors had unacceptable grades, one vendor had grade D [55-64%] while the others had F [less than 45%]. The microbiological results revealed the presence of a high load of microorganisms in the examined food samples. The aerobic colony counts ranged from 0.9 x 10[8] to 1.1 x 10[8] CFU/g. Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, coliforms and fecal coliforms were detected in 80%, 42%, 58% and 48% of the tested street food samples, respectively. Salmonella was not detected in any of the tested samples. It was recommended to prepare food away from sources of contamination, using safe and easily cleaned utensils and on surfaces that are in good condition. Also, the street-food vendors should not utilize lower grade raw materials as those are considered hazardous