Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Food Security Sector, Egyptian Armed Forces, Egypt
2
Professor of Meat Hygiene, Department of Food Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Moshtohor, Benha University, Egypt. Member of the Egyptian Organization for Standerization and Quality : Meat Hygiene Committee. Member
3
Food Hygiene Dept., Animal Health Research Institute (Tanta branch), ARC, Egypt
Abstract
Contamination with mold and yeast, and their toxins is considered one of the most dangerous hidden pollutants that threaten the health of the consumer. The presence of mycotoxins in various foods has been recorded, despite their apparent safety for human consumption. So, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the mycological quality, with special reference to the presence of toxigenic Aspergillus species, by culture method and aflatoxin producing genes molecularly in a total of 75 random samples of chicken cuts represented by wing, breast and thigh (25 of each) that were collected from various groceries and poultry shops located at Gharbiya governorate, Egypt. Results revealed that breast samples had the highest mycological counts (2.85 CFU/g). Consequently, isolated strains were subjected for mycological classification; where results revealed detection of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus and Alternaria species in various ratios in the examined samples. Moreover, Aspergillus sp. in 36%, 48% and 40% of the examined wing, breast and thigh samples, respectively. Furthermore, mycological identification of the isolated Aspergillus strains showed the presence of A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. terreus and A. parasiticus in 16%, 13.3%, 10.6%, 1.3% and 1.3% of the total population of the examined samples.
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