Advances in Food Science and Technology

Advances in Food Science and Technology ISSN: 6732-4215 Vol. 3 (7), pp. 328-331, July, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Bacteriological examination of ready-to-eat foods (RTE) products of Tehran province, Iran

Camila Bahar Ansari

Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Golestan, Iran.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 12 June, 2015

Abstract

Recontamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) products during post-processing may be the cause of outbreaks of food-borne disease. In this study, a total of 150 RTE samples were obtained for bacteriological examination (coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, Psychrotrophic bacteria and Psychrophilic bacteria). Various types of RTE food products that contained frozen (cooked and semi-cooked) and refrigerated (cooked) poultry meat foods, were purchased randomly periodically in January and March, 2012. 65% of cooked samples and 62% of semi cooked samples contain more than 10² CFU/g coliform, while S. aureus was more than 10² CFU/g in 35 and 40% of samples, respectively. Also 28% of cooked samples and 44% of semi cooked samples contained E. coli. 14% of all samples were contaminated by Salmonella. The results for enumeration of B. cereus, psychrophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms were: 2/96 ± 0/09 log CFU/g, 5/02 ± 1/77 log CFU/g and 3/05±0/04 log CFU/g, respectively.

Key words: Foodborne pathogens, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, psychrotrophic bacteria, psychrophilic bacteria, cooked, semi-cooked.