Assessment of Contaminated Packed and Unpacked Spices (Black-Pepper, Red-Pepper, Sumac, Cinnamon) With Aerobic Spores in Zanjan City

Subject Areas : Microbiology

زینب Sedaghat ¹ , مهران Mohseni ² , کوروش Kamali ³ , مریم Hasan ⁴ , شاهرخ Shabani ⁵ , نیکتا Ferdosi ⁶

1 - دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد بهداشت و ایمنی مواد غذایی، دانشکده بهداشت و پیراپزشکی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی زنجان، زنجان، ایران
2 - استادیار گروه کنترل غذا و دارو، دانشکده داروسازی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی زنجان، زنجان، ایران
3 - استادیار گروه بهداشت و ایمنی مواد غذایی، دانشکده بهداشت و پیراپزشکی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی زنجان، زنجان، ایران
4 - استادیار گروه کنترل غذا و دارو، دانشکده داروسازی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی زنجان، زنجان، ایران
5 - شاهرخ شعبانی
6 - گروه میکروبیولوژی، دانشکده علوم، واحد زنجان، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، زنجان، ایران

Received: 2014-01-21 Accepted : 2014-04-20 Published : 2015-03-21

Keywords: Aerobic Spores, Packaged, Spice, Unpackaged, Zanjan,

Abstract :

processes develop specific flavor and aroma and color in foods. Microbial contamination ofspices, like most of the agricultural products, is quite important regarding the health andhygiene. The aim of this research is to evaluate and assess the microbial status of packed andunpacked spices, in Zanjan city.Materials and Methods: Total of 80 samples of packed and unpacked spices (black pepper,red pepper, sumac, cinnamon) were collected randomly from the food supplying centers andlocal retail stores in Zanjan city. Experiments were carried out for the presence of aerobicspores according to the Iranian standards.Results: Average of total aerobic mesophilic spores count based on CFU/g were 1.6×107 forred pepper, 6.6×106 for black pepper, 4.3×104 for cinnamon and 3.5×102 for sumac. Averagesof total aerobic mesophilic spore counts for packed and unpacked spices were 3×106 CFU/gand 8.4×106 CFU/g, respectively. The average loads of total aerobic mesophilic spores werehighest in red pepper and lowest in sumac. Average of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria countin the red pepper and black pepper as compared to the international standard (ICMSF) werehigher.Conclusions: It is therefore recommended to apply disinfection and sterilization methodssuch as gamma irradiation at the rate of 10 KG to reduce the contamination of the sporeforming bacteria in spices, especially the spices that are consumed without undergoingcooking process.