الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The aim of the present investigation was to study the sensory evaluation of the retailed meat at cold storage. Isolation and identification of Psudomonas spp., S. aureus. Antimicrobial sensitivity of the recovered isolates and determination of some heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, and As) in frozen and chilled meat. A total of 30 samples, comprising 15 chilled and 15 frozen beef samples, were collected from various marketing stores in Sharkia. This study confirmed the potential contamination of meat at cold storage with food poisoning bacteria, particularly, Pseudomonas spp, and S. aureus spp. The other part of the study focuses on assessing the prevalence of Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), and Cadmium (Cd), in chilled and frozen meat in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The results of this research highlight the alarming concentrations of heavy metals, namely Pb, As, and to a lesser degree Hg, in meat samples obtained from Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, whether refrigerated or frozen. Although the concentrations of Cd in all samples remained within allowable limits, a significant proportion of refrigerated and frozen samples contained lead that exceeded the maximum residual concentrations. In all samples, arsenic concentrations exceeded permissible limits, indicating a grave threat to consumer safety. It could be concluded that the recovered pathogens isolates also exhibited striking multidrug resistance and a strong tolerance to antibiotics. As a result, strict hygiene guidelines should be followed when preparing and processing chilled and frozen meat. Besides such meat products were found to contain some residues of the toxic heavy metals such Pb, Cd, Hg, and As. |