Physiochemical and microbiological characteristics of commercial and handmade traditional Jordanian yoghurt drink (Shanineh)

ABSTRACT

Aims@#Shanineh is a traditional native buttermilk beverage in Jordan, where it is consumed to a great extent during spring and summer seasons. This study was carried out to evaluate the microbiological and physiochemical properties of handmade Shanineh compared to that commercially produced by dairy plants in Jordan.@*Methodology and results@#A total of 280 Shanineh samples consisted of 100 handmade samples from different dairy farms (workshops), 170 handmade samples from local markets, and 10 commercially produced samples as controls. Physiochemical characteristics including pH, fat, specific gravity, solid non fat, total solid, salt and viscosity and microbiological quality including coliforms and yeast and mold were evaluated. The results revealed that the physiochemical and hygienic quality of commercially produced Shanineh (control) complied with Jordanian standards, and it was significantly different (P≤0.05) from the markets or workshops samples in all parameters, Moreover, Shanineh samples that were handmade in small farms or distributed to the markets did not comply with standards because it is produced under uncontrolled conditions. 100% of the workshop samples and 47% of the market samples gave positive results for coliform with a value ranged between (<1 -320 CFU/g), while all of the analyzed samples were highly contaminated with yeast and mold with highly significant difference from the control sample.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Handmade Shanineh did not meet the Jordanian standard in term of physiochemical and microbiological parameters and had low hygienic quality compared to commercial one, sources of contaminant should be verified and prevented to ensure the safety of this drink at point of consumption and to decrease the incidence of its health risk on consumers.