الفهرس 
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Abstract
Bakery products are the most important staple foods in most countries and cultures, as bakery products and cereals are a valuable source of nutrients in our diets. Bread is one of such bakery products, well priced for its taste, aroma, and texture. Therefore, bread is a food product that is universally accepted as a very convenient form of food that has desirability to all populations rich and poor, rural and urban. It contains essential constituents (e.g carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, lipids, minerals and vitamins) that collectively make bread an important source of energy and nutrients.
Bread and other bakery products are subjected to various spoilage problems; physical, chemical and microbial; the latter is the most serious one particularly bacterial (Bacillus species) and mold growth. Various molds involved in spoilage of bread include Rhizopus, Mucor, Penicillium, Eurotium, Aspergillus and Monilia
Food safety became very important for governments, producers of food products and consumers as well. Like other food products, microbiological hazards have also become a public health safety concern for bakery products. Unhygienic packaging conditions and un-satisfactory storage of bakery products can worsen their microbial quality.
The present study aimed to:
1) Assess the microbiological quality of some packed and unpacked bread products in Alexandria, Egypt.
2) Enumerate the viable heterotrophic bacteria in the studied bread samples in Alexandria, Egypt.
3) Enumerate total coliforms, total yeast and mold in the studied bread samples.
4) Compare the microbiological quality of packed and unpacked bread products.
The present study was conducted over a period of 5 months from November 2020 to March 2021. It enrolled 168 bread samples collected randomly from 2 districts in Alexandria, where 84 samples were packed, and another 84 samples were unpacked. Bread samples were purchased from sellers and handled in the same way as any client.
Collected bakery products included, flat bread [white (shami) and brown (baladi)], fino bread (white flour and brown), toast (white flour and brown) local and branded. A data sheet was filled for each bread sample including the type of sample, site, date, time of collection, expiry date and duration of storage, location of storage, coverage and gloves usage by the seller. All Bread samples were subjected to the following tests: determination of TPC, enumeration of TC, isolation and identification of S. aureus and enumeration of total yeast and mold.
The results of the present study revealed that:
1. Based on the packaging of the bread samples, packed bread had the higher mean of TPC than unpacked bread (1.39 x106 versus 2.07 x105 CFU/g, respectively). The mean of the total yeast and mold and TC in packed bread was lower than that of unpacked bread (3.40 x103 CFU/g and 3.25 MPN/g versus 6.37 x103 CFU/g and 31.61 MPN/g, respectively).
2. Regarding the type of bread, flat bread had higher means of TPC, total yeast and mold and TC than fino bread and toast.
3. According to the display in the shop, the mean of TPC, total yeast and mold and TC in bread displayed outside the shop was higher than that of the bread displayed inside the shop.
4. All the studied parameters were higher in uncovered unpacked bread: TPC (1.5x105 CFU/g), the total yeast and mold (6.3x103 CFU/g) and TC (6.2 MPN/g).
5. Using gloves for the unpacked bread handling is accompanied by a lower TPC, total yeast and mold, and TC than that without using gloves in bread handling. The mean of TC was statistically significant difference with P-value= 0.011.
6. Regarding Alexandria Districts, S. aureus was detected in 21.7% (18 out of 83) of bread in Al Montaza District more than that detected in Shark District 11.8% (10 out of 85). Also, the mean counts of TPC, the total yeast and mold and TC in Al Montaza District were higher than that of Shark District (1.4 x106 CFU/g, 9.28 x 103 CFU/g, 17.4 MPN/g, respectively).
7. The presence of S. aureus was associated with display of the bread outside the shop (25.9% versus 11.8%) and with the non-use of gloves (27.5% versus 9.1%). Also, as regards the type of bread, the highest percent of the S. aureus was seen in flat bread (30.4%). The presence of S. aureus was higher among covered bread (24.6%) and among unpacked bread (20.2%).