Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Four Plant Essential Oils against Some Food and Phytopathogens Isolated from Processed Meat Products in Egypt

Synthetic preservatives are widely utilized by the food industry to inhibit the microbial contamination and increase food safety and shelf life. The excessive utilization of synthetic preservatives can have a negative impact on human health and the environment. There is a great interest to find out natural substances as possible food-preservatives. The consumers' preference for food products with natural ingredients prompted food manufacturers to utilize natural-based preservatives in their production. It is worth noting that plant essential oils (EOs) among the natural-based substances have been efficiently used as antimicrobial agents against phyto- and food pathogens. The current study was conducted to evaluate the microbial contamination of three industrial meat products from five governorates in Egypt, identify the predominant bacterial and fungal isolates and determine the antimicrobial efficacy of some EOs (thyme, fennel, anise and marjoram) against the most predominant microbial isolates. A sensory test was also performed to estimate the customer preferences for specific organoleptic aspects of meat products after EOs treatment. Results showed that there is a promising antimicrobial activity of all studied EOs against some microbial isolates in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, thyme EO showed the highest significant antibacterial activity against P. fluorescence and E. coli. Whereas the marjoram EO showed the highest activity against P. aeruginosa. In addition, the sensory test revealed that the treatment with anise and marjoram EOs showed the highest acceptability by the testers and did not show significant differences on the organoleptic properties with respect to control. As overall, the obtained results of the current research are promising and proved feasibility of employing plant EOs as possible preservatives for processed meat products

Antimicrobial activities of coriander in chicken meat products: A review

Chicken meat products contribute significantly as a fairly priced substitute for red meat, which is critically undersupplied in Egypt. This type of meat is high in animal protein, vital amino acids, and trace elements. Furthermore, as a result of rapid improvements in food processing and technology, a variety of chicken meat products, including as chicken burgers, chicken fillets, chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and chicken panne, were manufactured and released into the chicken meat markets. Such key products are defined by their distinct flavor and aroma, which captivates buyers, particularly children. Microorganisms can contaminate chicken meat products at any stage of production, including raw material preparation, manufacture, distribution, and storage. As a result, chicken products are regarded to be a possible source of bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Salmonella spp. Essential oils derived from the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum L.), either from the seeds or the leaves, are among the most extensively utilized. Coriander and coriander essential oils are antibacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anxiolytic, anti-epileptic, depressive, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antidyslipidemic, antihypertensive, neuroprotective, and diuretic. In this review, we threw the light on the microbial contamination of chicken meat and meat products in Egypt and worldwide. Besides, the antibacterial activities of coriander will be reviewed

PREVALENCE OF ENTEROTOXIGENIC AND MULTI-DRUG-RESISTANT Staphylococcus aureus IN READY TO EAT MEAT SANDWICHES

Due to recent spread of multiple drug resistant pathogens, this study was peformed to investigate the presence of multi-drug resistant enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in some ready to eat meat products (RTE). For this, one hundred and forty samples of ready to eat meat sandwiches were collected from restaurants and street vendors in Zagazig city, Egypt. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important food poisoning bacteria in RTE. The counts were 3.31 ± 0.49, 2.86 ± 0.36, 3.28 ± 0.24, 3.92 ± 0.41, 2.52 ± 0.11, 3.64 ± 0.39 and 3.12 ± 0.35 log10 CFU/g in examined kofta, luncheon, burger, shawarma, hawawshi, liver and sausage sandwiches, respectively. The examined sandwiches were categorized into good (32.1%), acceptable (32.9%), unsatisfactory (26.4%) and potentially hazard (8.6%). About 72.7 % of examined S. aureus strains carry one or more staphylococcal enterotoxin (se) genes and mecA gene detected in 81.8% of coagulase positive S. aureus. The antibiogram showed that 100% of S. aureus isolates were resistant to kanamycin, 92% for penicillin and neomycin, 84% for oxacillin and erythromycin and 68% for ampicillin and nalidixic acid. The average of multi-antibiotic resistant (MAR) index of isolated S. aureus was 0.59. Moreover, five isolates were resistant to all tested antibiotic

Microbial Quality of Tilapia nilotica in Egypt: A Review

Fish is considered as important source of animal derived protein, omega-3-fatthy acids, minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iodine, and vitamins. Among the fish species, tilapia nilotica is the most famous fish in Egypt due to its ease culturing, short production cycle, cheap price, and therefore play fundamental roles in food security, particularly in the human supply of the anumal-derived protein. Fish during its production till delivery to the consumer's table might be exposed to a vast array of microbial contaminants either originated from its surrounding eniveronment or via cross contamination from the angler's hands, during transportation, and storage. Therefore, tilapia might act as a potential source of spreading of foodborne pathogens to the consumers. However, few reports had investigated the microbal quality of tilapia, particularly in Egypt. Therefore, this review was undertaken to report literatures studying the prevalence of some foodborne pathogens in tilapia fish in Egypt, the factors that affect the microbial quality of the fish, and some recommendations in order to extend the shelflife and improve the microbial quality of Tilapia nilotica. This reviw concluded that tilapia is eligible for contamination with a vast array of microorganisms such as enterobacteriacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Shewanella putrefaciens, Corynebacterium urealyticum, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Flavobacterium spp. Therefore, it is highly recommended to have efficient cooking of fish either via boiling, grilling, panfrying, dipping in liquid smokes, irradiation, ozonization, and addition of smone natural addirives such as lemon juice

Bacteriological Quality of Retailed Chicken Meat Products in Zagazig City, Egypt

Chicken meat products have a high biological value; they are good sources of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Despite this high biological value, these products act as a good substrate for different types of bacteria and have been implicated in many foodborne disease outbreaks. Therefore, a total of 60 random samples of chicken meat products (nuggets, luncheon and pane, 20 of each) were collected from Zagazig City, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt for bacteriological examination (Aerobic Plate Count, Staphylococci count, Pseudomonas count, determination of most probable number of Coliform and E. coli.). The obtained results revealed that the mean aerobic plate counts were 5.18±0.19, 4.88±0.20 and 4.73±0.29 log10 CFU/g; Staphylococci counts were 2.96±0.20, 3.14±0.21 and 3.32±0.16 log10 CFU/g; Pseudomonas counts were 2.17±0.30, 2±0.28 and 2.34±0.21 log10 CFU/g; most probable numbers of Coliforms were 3.37±0.11, 3.83±0.27 and 3.64±0.30 log10 CFU/g; and most probable numbers of E. coli were 2.14±0.17, 2.56±0.30 and 2.64±0.25 log10 CFU/g in the examined nuggets, luncheon and pane, respectively. According to the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), the examined chicken product samples were 10(21.67%), 9(15%), 28(46.67%), 49(81.67%), 31(51.67%) and 30(50%) accepted for aerobic plate count, Staphylococci count, S. aureus, Pseudomonas count, Coliform and E. coli, respectively. In conclusion, the examined chicken meat products revealed unsatisfactory hygienic measures. Therefore, strict hygienic practices should be adopted during processing of chicken meat products to improve the bacteriological quality of such products

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Aeromonas and Molecular Identification of Aeromonas hydrophila Isolated from Some Marketed Fish in Egypt

      Aeromonas hydrophila, is an important foodborne bacterial disease in the aquaculture. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Aeromonas species, virulence genes associated in A. hydrophila and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Aeromonas spp. isolated from fish samples (tilapia, mugil, tuna, saurus, pagrus and shrimp) collected from Zagazig city markets, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Aeromonas spp. was isolated with a percentage of 39.3% of all examined fish samples. Four Aeromonas species (A. hydrophila, A. caviae, A. fluvials and A. sobria) were isolated from the tested fish samples (12%, 15.3%, 2.7% and 9.3%, respectively). A. hydrophila was only isolated from Tilapia, Saurus and Shrimp samples (16%, 28% and 28%, respectively). Aerolysin (aerA) and haemolysin (ahh1) were expressed in 100% and 75% of the A. hydrophila isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of Aeromonas spp. revealed marked resistant for testing antibiotics; Ampicillin (100 %), Erythromycin (100 %), Tetracycline (83.3 %), Sulphamethoxazol (75 %), Cefotaxime (50 %) and Cephalothin (50 %). Dipping of Nile tilapia in lemon juice 5% for 2 h reduced A. hydrophila counts by 0.45 log cfu/g (64.44%). In conclusion, the present study confirms contamination of fish by Aeromonas spp. Immersion of fish in in lemon juice 5% is an efficient policy for reducing A. hydrophila in fish