Chemical and microbiological evaluation of some different soft cheese

Abstract EN

The purpose of this study was to assess the chemical and microbiological quality of some different types of soft cheeses.

A total of 100 samples of different soft cheeses included: Kareish, Damietta, Tallaga and double cream cheese (25 of each types) were collected randomly from Damanhour city markets, Egypt and chemically and microbiologically examined.

Mean values of acidity and salt percent were 1.97± 0.18, 2.84± 0.5; 1.36±0.25, 5.01±0.25;1.0± 0.19, 2.99± 0.17 and 0.90± 0.32, 1.8± 0.11 in the examined Kareish, Damietta, Tallaga and double cream cheese samples, respectively.

Microbiological examination revealed that APC, Staph.

aureus, coliforms, E.

coli and mould counts were present in 100, 60, 48, 40, 72% of Kareish cheese, 100, 48, 32,20, 56 % of Damietta cheese, 100, 44, 40, 24, 64 % of Tallaga cheese and 100, 24, 36, 12, 40 % of double cream cheese, respectively, with mean values 1.2x105 ± 2x104 ,1.4x103 ±8x102 , 1.5x104 ±4x103 , 8x103 ±3x103 , 2.5x104 ±6x103 of kareish cheese, 7.8x104 ±8x103 , 2.8x103 ±6x102 , 1.6x103 ±5x102 , 2.0x102 ±9x10, 4x103 ±1x103 of Damietta cheese, 1.1x105 ±1x104 , 1.7x103 ±5x102 , 3x103 ±1x 103 , 1.3x103 ±5x102 , 2.2x103 ±6x102 of Tallaga cheese and 8x104 ±1x104 , 4x102 ±2x102 , 9x102 ±3x102 , 1.0x102 ±6x10, 6x103 ±2x103 of double cream cheese, respectively.

All examined samples of different kinds of soft cheese were free from listeria species.

The obtained results indicated unhygienic conditions applied during production, handling and distribution of different soft cheese so, we recommended application of strict hygienic measures during all stages of production.