Ali Manal A, Hashish Mona H, Fekry Marwa M
Medical Physiology Department, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Department of Microbiology, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, 165 El-Horreya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt.
J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2023 Aug 16;98(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s42506-023-00141-9.
Bakery products are important food snacks consumed by people of all ages and economic groups. The growth of unwanted microorganisms that deteriorate products such as bacteria, moulds, and fungi in these foodstuffs may offer risks to consumers' health and generate considerable economic losses. This work aimed to assess the microbiological quality of some packed and unpacked bread products in Alexandria, Egypt.
This cross-sectional comparative study involved 168 local and branded bakery products that were collected randomly from 2 districts in Alexandria. Hygienic practices such as covering of the bread and wearing gloves during handling were observed and recorded. All bread samples were tested to determine the total plate count (TPC), presence/absence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), total yeasts and moulds in CFU/g and total coliform count (TC) in MPN/g.
The mean of the total yeasts and moulds and TC in the packed bread was lower than that of the unpacked bread (3.40 × 10 CFU/g and 3.25 MPN/g versus 6.37 × 10 CFU/g and 31.61 MPN/g, respectively). However, the mean of TPC in the packed bread was higher than that of the unpacked bread (1.39 × 10 versus 2.07 × 10 CFU/g, respectively). The mean TPC, total yeasts and moulds and TC was higher in the studied flatbread than Fino bread and toast (3.4 × 10, 1.14 × 10 CFU/g and 24.6 MPN/g, respectively). The presence of S. aureus was higher in flat, unpacked bread, bread displayed outside the shop and handled without gloves.
Bread produced by local bakeries showed lower standards in packaging and microbial quality. Better manufacturing, packaging, storage, and handling initiatives should be introduced to avoid related food safety concerns in the future. The formal authorities should define and clarify standards and rules on bread safety.
烘焙食品是各年龄段和经济群体都食用的重要零食。这些食品中细菌、霉菌和真菌等会使产品变质的有害微生物的滋生，可能会给消费者健康带来风险，并造成可观的经济损失。这项工作旨在评估埃及亚历山大港一些包装和未包装面包产品的微生物质量。
这项横断面比较研究涉及从亚历山大港的2个区随机收集的168种本地和品牌烘焙产品。观察并记录了诸如覆盖面包以及处理过程中戴手套等卫生习惯。对所有面包样品进行检测，以确定总平板计数（TPC）、金黄色葡萄球菌（S. aureus）的有无、每克菌落形成单位（CFU/g）的总酵母和霉菌数量以及每克最可能数（MPN/g）的总大肠菌群数（TC）。
包装面包中总酵母和霉菌以及TC的平均值低于未包装面包（分别为3.40×10 CFU/g和3.25 MPN/g，而未包装面包分别为6.37×10 CFU/g和31.61 MPN/g）。然而，包装面包中TPC的平均值高于未包装面包（分别为1.39×10与2.07×10 CFU/g）。在研究的薄饼中，TPC、总酵母和霉菌以及TC的平均值高于菲诺面包和吐司（分别为3.4×10、1.14×10 CFU/g和24.6 MPN/g）。在未包装的扁平面包、店外展示且未戴手套处理的面包中，金黄色葡萄球菌的存在率更高。
当地面包店生产的面包在包装和微生物质量方面标准较低。应引入更好的生产、包装、储存和处理措施，以避免未来出现相关食品安全问题。官方当局应明确和阐明面包安全标准及规则。
