Microbiological and Chemical Properties of Falafel Samples Collected From Street Food Market in Ahvaz, Iran

Jundishapur Scientific Medical Journal

article

Zadeh-Dabbagh, Reza¹  Hashemi, Mohammad²  Massah, Marzieh³  Taherian, Elham³  Sayyahi, Naji³  Haghparasti, Farkhondeh³  Marhamati, Masoumeh³  Alavi, Leila³  Bahrami, Nikoo³  Karami, Maliheh⁴  Noori, Seyyed Mohammad Ali⁵ 

[1] Food and drug Laboratory Research Center, Iran Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Medical Education;Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences;Food and Drug Administration, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences;Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University;Department of Nutrition, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

关键词: Falafel;    Microbial properties;    Chemical properties;    Food safety;   

DOI  :  10.32598/JSMJ.21.1.2708

学科分类：基础医学

来源: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

【 摘 要 】

Background and Objectives Falafel is one of the most popular artisanal foods in Iran, especially inKhouzestan province. However, no comprehensive study has been performed to evaluate its microbiologicaland chemical properties. This study aims to evaluate microbiological and chemical properties offalafel samples collected from street food market in Ahvaz, Iran.Subjects and Methods Microbiological tests including total viable count (TVC), psychrophilic count, Escherichiacoli test, staphylococcus aureus test, coliform count, bacillus cereus test, Salmonella test, andmold count were performed to evaluate microbiological properties of falafel samples (cooked and uncooked).The chemical properties were assessed by performing protein test, ash, carbohydrate, lipid,salt, peroxide, and acidity tests. All tests were done according to the methods described by the Instituteof Standards & Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI).Results Microbiological tests revealed that TVC (108 cfu/g), coliform count (3.7×103 cfu/g) and mold count(1.3×103 cfu/g) were significantly higher than the amounts set by the ISIRI (P<0.05), indicating high contaminationof uncooked falafel samples. The major problems observed by chemical tests was the highcontent of lipid (20.11%) and peroxide value (47.85 meq/kg) which were significantly higher than thevalues set by the ISIRI (P<0.05).Conclusion Microbiological and chemical properties of falafel are poor, indicating the poor hygienic conditionsof its preparation in street food market. We recommend more attention to and supervision onthe preparation of artisanal foods such as falafel in Iran.

【 授权许可】

Unknown