Use of chlorine, benzoate and lactic acid as decontaminators to mechanically separated poultry meat and application in traditional Egyptian luncheon

Mechanically separated meat was chemically decontaminated with various approved materials and then used for preparation of traditional Egyptian luncheon. The prepared luncheon was then kept at room temperature to study the effect of such treatments on its bacterial load and keeping quality. All the used chemicals significantly reduced the bacterial load of mechanically separated meat in comparison with control product in which untreated mechanically separated meat was incorporated. Combined use of chlorine and sodium benzoate was the most powerful treatment, where it was responsible for reduction of the different bacterial populations by about 1.5-3.5 log[10] cycles. The same treatment exerted a much more effect than other three treatments in extending the shelf life of luncheon to 7 weeks in comparison with 5 weeks in samples treated with either chlorine or lactic acid alone and only 2 weeks in untreated control samples. Combined treatment also reduced the used concentration of both chemicals without affecting the shelf life of the product

Development of sensory scoring schemes for farm-raised fish [tilapia nilotica and Bagrus bayad]

The aim of the present investigation is to establish a guide for the post-mortem changes in sensory characteristics of farm-raised Tilapia nilotica [T. nilotica] and Bagrus bayad [B. bayad] which are among the most popular Egyptian freshwater fishes. Fish under experiment were kept in crushedice and the changes in the different sensory criteria were followed during storage by sensory evaluation of the skin surface, gills, eyes, smell and muscles stiffness of raw fish, as well as the eating quality criteria [odor, flavor and texture] for cooked samples. Numerical schemes using simplified descriptive terms were developed to make sensory evaluation more reliable and facilitate its application in industrial field. The scales were constructed into many features and the final judgement was performed according to summation of all investigated characteristics. The quality grades of raw examined samples of T.nilotica and B. bayad were categorized as excellent [grade A=10 marks] for samples stored for first three days, very good [grade B=8 marks] for samples stored for 7days, good [grade C=6 marks] for samples stored for 9 days, acceptable [grade C=4 marks] for samples stored for thirteen days, while samples stored for more than thirteen days in crushed ice were considered rejected [grade E=2 marks]

Microbiological evaluation of pizza with special concern to food-borne pathogens

Thirty samples of pizza randomly collected from different restaurants and pastries in Cairo and Giza governorates were investigated to evaluate their microbiological quality. The results indicated that the mean Aerobic plate, Enterobacteriaceae, Aerobic sporeformers, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococci, Staph. aureus, Enterococci, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Coliforms, Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli [SPEC] and yeast and mold counts per gram were 1.5 x 10 5, 2 x 10 4, 6.1 x 10 2, 2.1 x 10 2, 2.9 x 10 3, 6.1 x 10 2, 3.2 x 10 4, 2.4 x 10 2, 9.8 x 10 2, 1 x 10 2 and 6.5 x 10 3, respectively. Pizza was found to be contaminated with newly emerging food-borne pathogens such as Aeromonas hydrophila, as well as Salmonella species. Escherichia coli, Enterobacter agglomerans, E. coloacae, Citrobacter diversus, C. freundii, Klebsiella ozenae and K. rhinoschleromata were isolated in percentage ranged from 3.3 to 20%. However, neither Listeria monocytogenes nor Yersinia enterocolitica could be isolated from the examined samples. The public health hazards of the isolated organisms, as well as suggested control measures were fully discussed in order to improve the quality of pizza

Hazard analysis and critical control point evaluation of eggs and basterma meal

Hazard analysis is conducted for a meal made from fried eggs with basterma prepared as sandwiches. Samples of the meal as well as its raw ingredients together with samples from similar meal prepared under laboratory conditions were analyzed microbiologically. The obtained results revealed high significant difference [p