Transmission of Administered Amoxicillin Drug Residues from Laying Chicken to their Commercial Eggs.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial agents in food producing animals are a very important public health issue. They are routinely added to animal feed at sub-therapeutic levels for their growth promoting properties. This practice, however, carries many disadvantages, such as the stimulation of microbial resistance to antibiotics. AIM: This study was carried out to determine administered Amoxicillin residues in laying chickens and in their commercial eggs, and the effect of cooking and storage condition on Amoxicillin residues in their eggs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 50 terminal faeces were collected from laying hens in addition, a total of 215 commercial egg samples were randomly selected from the farm treated with Amoxicillin. Microbiological agar diffusion method was used. RESULTS: the withdrawal time of Amoxicillin was 7 days. Its residues were detected in both egg yolks and egg whites for 6 successive days after the last drug administration. In addition, Amoxicillin residues remained until the 7th day from drug administration in eggs stored at room temperature, and at 4°C. Amoxicillin residue was not affected after boiling eggs for 10 minutes. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: eggs should not be distributed to markets until the end of the drug's withdrawal period. It is also recommended to observe the withdrawal period of drugs before poultry slaughter or table egg distribution to avoid antimicrobial resistance and to inform both owners and consumers about the risks of antibiotic residues in egg contents.

Determination of flavonoid and phenolic Acid contents of clover, cotton and citrus floral honeys.

Authentic samples of clover, cotton and citrus honeys were selected and extracted from their hives placed in clover, citrus, and cotton farms. Their botanical origin was assured then they were extracted and analyzed for flavonoids and phenolic acids content. Results showed that the lowest percentage of authentic samples was found in cotton honey. Moreover, 93.00% +/- 3.00 of pollen grains found in clover honey samples were for clover, 16.25% +/- 3.18 of pollen grains found in cotton honey samples were for cotton and 32.50 % +/- 10.60 of pollen grains found in citrus honey samples were for citrus species. In addition, the flavonone hesperetin was found only in citrus honey samples with a mean content of 1.08 +/- 0.36 mg/100 g honey whereas, the flavanol quercetin was found in the three floral honeys. The phenolic acids (cinnamic acid and p-hydroxy benzoic acid) were detected in the three floral honeys with different quantities. It is recommended to use honey as a healthy alternative to sugar; also, to use hesperetin as a floral marker of citrus honey.

Assessment of hand washing facilities, personal hygiene and the bacteriological quality of hand washes in some grocery and dairy shops in alexandria, egypt.

UNLABELLED: Food produced with satisfactory hygienic standards is one of the essential conditions for promoting and preserving health. A total of 15 grocery and dairy shops were randomly selected from Alexandria, Egypt to assess their hand washing facilities and personal hygiene of food handlers using a pre-designed sanitation checklist. Also the bacteriological profile of the handlers' hand washes was determined. Only 20% of these shops were acceptable concerning their hand washing facilities ((3) 50% score percentages). Observing 29 food handlers revealed that only 3.4% of them were acceptable in their personal hygiene with a mean score percentage of only 31.0 +/- 9.2. Although the hand washing method followed by the food handlers significantly decreased both aerobic mesophilic and staphylococci counts, they were still high. Moreover, fecal coliforms increased insignificantly from 5 to 7 MPN/100ml indicating that the hand washing was improperly done due several pitfalls. Most of the handlers who washed their hands for less than 10 seconds (41.4%) had higher counts of aerobic mesophiles and staphylococci than those who washed for more 10 seconds. Most of the handlers (93.1%) did not avoid contamination from the tap after hand washing. Moreover, their hand washes were contaminated with fecal coliforms (8 MPN/100ml) and with slightly higher staphylococci counts than those who avoid contamination either by rinsing a tap or closing it by elbow. RECOMMENDATIONS: Much effort should be done from the responsible authority to improve the sanitation inside these shops and food handlers should be given in-service training to know how to efficiently wash their hands.

Effect of processing on folic acid fortified Baladi bread and its possible effect on the prevention of colon cancer.

This paper studied the possible effect of folic acid in fortified Baladi bread on the prevention of colon cancer development in rats. Wheat flour samples (82% extraction rate) and soy bean flour were analyzed to determine their folic acid contents using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Unfortified and folic acid fortified Baladi breads were prepared. Samples from each step of bread preparation were analyzed for folic acid concentration. Protein, fat, ash, fibers and carbohydrates percentages were also determined. Rats were divided into five groups, four of them were injected subcutaneously with dimethylhydrazine (DMH). After 15 weeks, the rats were sacrificed for pathological examination. Results showed that the folic acid content in wheat flour (82% extraction rate) was found to be highly significantly lower than that in soybean flour. After baking, folic acid content in all breads was found to decrease significantly. The highest protein and fat contents were found in soybean flour fortified Baladi bread. The colons of rats of groups 3 (fed 5% soy flour fortified Baladi bread) and 5 (fed Baladi bread fortified with 5% soy flour+8 mg folic acid/kg wheat flour) were the mostly affected by DMH injection as premalignant changes were observed.

Evaluation of two enrichment broths, three plating media and ELISA technique for the isolation of salmonella from dairy products.

Salmonella is one of the most important food-borne pathogens that can be transmitted through the consumption of contaminated milk and milk products. Early detection of Salmonella in food is important for food safety. Two selective media, brilliant green agar (BGA) and xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD) agar are commonly used in diagnostic laboratories for the isolation of Salmonella, often after enrichment of the samples in a broth before plating on the solid medium. Recently, a new medium called CHROmagar Salmonella (CAS) has become available for the rapid detection of Salmonella. In the present study, we compared this new medium with BGA and XLD for the isolation of Salmonella from 160 dairy products samples (80 ice cream and 80 kariesh cheese samples) with enrichment in Rappaport- Vassiliadis (RV) and tetrathionate (TT) broth. TECRA Unique Salmonella ELISA test was used. Only one sample was positive for Salmonella, which appeared on each of CAS and XLD agars, after enrichment using RV but not TT. This was associated with a sensitivity and specificity of (100 %, 92.45%), (100%, 93.71%) and (0 %, 100%) for each of CHROmagar Salmonella, XLD and BGA respectively. TECRA Unique Salmonella test yielded the highest sensitivity and specificity among all used methods; it had 100% sensitivity with 100% specificity.

Bacteriological quality of some dairy products (kariesh cheese and ice cream) in alexandria.

The present study estimated the total viable bacterial density, total and faecal coliforms, and E. coli in Kariesh cheese and ice cream. The study included 160 ice cream and kariesh cheese samples (80 samples each). Ice cream samples were 47 packed (33 cup and 14 stick) and 33 open samples while kariesh cheese samples were 62 open, 18 packed samples (8 of known brand and 10 of unknown brand). Samples were collected from supermarkets, shops and street vendors. All samples were analyzed for enumeration of total viable heterotrophic bacteria using standard pour plate method, and for the determination of the total coliforms, fecal coliforms and E. coli using multiple tube dilution method. Ice cream samples, showed that the total bacterial count was >/=1.5x105 cfu/g in 26 (32.5%) samples, total coliforms were >/= 10 MPN/g in 36 (45.0%) samples, fecal coliforms were detected in 45 (56.3%) samples ,and E. coli was detected in 34 (42.5%). kariesh cheese samples, showed a total coliforms of >/= 10 MPN/g in 54 (67.5%) samples, while fecal coliforms were detected in 64 (80%) samples, and E. coli was detected in 60 (75%). It is recommended to use and implement immediate regulatory measures like good manufacturing practices as well as distribution and retail storage practices for ensuring microbiological safety of ice cream and kariesh cheese.

The inhibitory effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on growth of some microorganisms.

The aim of the present study was to compare between the anti-microbial activity of fresh garlic bulbs and that of its water extract against the potent food pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Esherichia coil, Salmonella typhi and Bacillus cereus. Garlic segments with different concentrations (1%, 5%, and 10%) were used. Another 100 gms of garlic segments were weighed and mixed with 100 ml distilled water to prepare water extract of garlic, then 1000, 500 and 100 microg/ml were prepared. These concentrations of garlic were mixed with prepared cultures of E. coli, Staph. aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Salmonella typhi. The inhibitory effect of garlic was determined using Spectrophotometer for garlic segments and by comparing with control plates for the water extract of garlic. Results showed that the higher the garlic concentration, the higher was the microbial reduction percent. Water extract of garlic exhibited a higher microbial reduction percentage than fresh garlic.

The effect of bread making steps on the degradation of aflatoxins produced as a result of single inoculation with Aspergillus flavus and combined inoculation with Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus ochraceus.

This study aimed to determine the effect of bread making steps on the stability of aflatoxin. Sakha 8 wheat and Gemaiza 5 wheat cultivars, were used in the present study. They were inoculated with a dense spore suspension of toxigenic fungal species of Aspergillus flavus and a non toxigenic species of Aspergillus ochraceus singly and combined. Aflatoxin concentration was determined in the whole wheat grain, after milling, after fermentation, and after bread-baking process. Results showed that the highest reduction percentage for the total aflatoxins (81, G1 and G2), was in Sakha 8 (32.96%) (single treatment), Gemaiza 5 (19.54%) (single treatment ), Gemaiza 5 (18.65%) (combined treatment), and finally in Sakha 8 (16.49%) (combined treatment). There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in aflatoxins content between Sakha 8 and Gemaiza 5 treated singly and in a combined way before and after milling process. In the mean time, the percentage of AFB1, AFG1 and AFG2 were reduced by 31.98%, 44.53% and 35.35%, respectively, while the total aflatoxins concentration were reduced by 41.17% after baking. Results also showed the presence of a significant difference at p < 0.05 among the whole grain, after milling and after baking concerning AFG1, AFG2 and the total aflatoxins content. No significant difference was found in case of AFB1.