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Chemical, Nutritional and Microbiological Evaluation
of
Some Egyptian Soft Cheeses
1*Ghada,
Z. A. A., 2*Alia, M. H., 3**Soha, Al-S., 4*Magdy,
N. A., and 5*Mohammed, F. S.,
1 Lecture
of Biochemistry, 2 Lecture of
Food Hygiene, 3 Lecture of Nutrition, 4 Associate Prof
of Ecological Sciences, 5 Prof of Microbiology. *The National
Nutrition Institute.
**Suez Canal University.
Abstract
Milk and dairy products is considered the most complete foodstuff that
provide human either infants or adults with most of their vital needs. Milk
and cheese have high nutritive value due to its high content of protein, fat,
minerals especially calcium (Ca2+) & phosphorous, and
vitamins. Two hundred samples produced and sold in Egypt during 2001-2003 were collected from allover the
country. The cheese samples were
subjected to microbiological and chemical analysis. Samples were
microbiologically tested for total aerobic bacterial count (TABC), Colifrm, Escherichia
coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus, mould and yeast,
salmonella and shigella, and listeria species. Protein, fat,
carbohydrates, moisture, ash, lactose, Calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P) and Ca/P
were evaluated. The analysis showed that total aerobic bacterial count did
not exceed 1.4X105±1.7X105 cells/gm, which is close to
what allowed by the Standard Egyptian Guidelines (2001) and 47.5 % of the
tested cheese are free from coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli.
Ninety-eight and half percent, 97 %, 97 % and 91.5 % of the tested cheese
(kareish, feta, thalaga, double cream respectively), either made in plant or
home or farmers’ cheese sample have zero Staphylococcus aureus
count or mould and yeast; or salmonella and shigella, or listeria species respectively,
i. e. free from them. Double cream cheese has the lowest protein content
(7.79±0.78 gm%) while kareish cheese has the highest protein content
(19.99±1.32 gm%), but for fat content the opposite is true, double cream
cheese have the highest fat content (24.56±1.78 gm%) while kareish cheese
have the lowest fat content (3.87±0.97 gm %). Feta cheese has high ash
content while kareish cheese has the highest moisture content with the lowest
ash content (68.97±1.86 & 1.81±0.47 gm% respectively). Lactose content
varies widely from 1.50±0.26 (double cream cheese) to 3.25±0.50 (feta
cheese). Kareish cheese has higher content of calcium and phosphorous
(641.1±49.21 mg%, 431.18±37.21 mg% respectively) than the remaining types of
cheese. Calcium & phosphorous content of kareish cheese is almost the
double content of the double cream cheese. Feta cheese has higher Ca/P
(1.65±0.19) while thalaga and double cream has lower Ca/P (1.34±0.13 &
1.37±0.20). Each 100 gm of soft cheese can provide children (1-8 y) &
adult (9-≥50 y) from 39.78% & 24.48 % to128.22 % & 64.11% of
their Ca Dietary Reference Intake and this from double
cream cheese and kareish cheese respectively.
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