MICROBIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF SOFT CHEESES MANUFACTURED IN MINIA CITY

Sixty random samples of different types of soft cheese (20 samples each of Dammietta, fresh and pickled kareish cheese) were randomly collected from
different markets in Minia city. The microbiological counts showed that the average values of total colony, coliform, staph. aureus, enterococcus and yeast and mould counts in fresh kareish cheese were 2.9 x108 + 0.6x10, 52x107 + 1.9x10', 8.9 x 107 + 5.9x10"; 7.2x10+ 1.1x10' and 2.4x10'+ 0.7x107 and in pickled kareish cheese were 1.2 x 10^+ 1.1x109, 3.4 x 10? + 1.6x102, 7.8 x 10+ 0.8x10, 8.1 x 10°+ 2.5x102 and 4.2 x 102 + 1.3x102; while in Dammietta cheese they were 1.7x10 + 9x109, 2.6 x10 + 1.2x104, 6.3x10* + 0.’x102, 6.8x109 + 2.3 x 10% and 7.9 x10' + 1.8x 102, respectively. The high percentage of sodium chloride and increased acidity in pickled kareish cheese inhibited the growth of existing contaminant and hence low counts and isolates were obtained from this product. The obtained results revealed that Strept. faecalis, E. coli and coagulase positive Staph. aureus could be isolated from 26, 33 and 3 of cheese samples, respectively. The present study prove that the fresh kareish and Dammietta cheese in Minia city were manufactured, handled under neglected sanitary measures. Therefore, strict hygienic measures should be adopted during production of such valuable products.