Home // International Journal On Advances in Life Sciences, volume 10, numbers 3 and 4, 2018 // View article

A Quantitative Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Lebanese Tahini (Sesame Paste)

Authors:
Zeinab Alaouie
Ali AlKhatib
Hassan M. Khachfe

Keywords: Tahini; Sesame Paste; Microbiology; Lebanon.

Abstract:
The microbiological quality of tahini produced by several manufacturers in Lebanon was evaluated. Sixty-three tahini samples were collected randomly from retail markets throughout the country with production dates ranging from October 2015 to September 2017. The majority of the samples were from companies that are international exporters of the product. Nine of the obtained samples were from a traditional tahini manufacturer. All samples were assessed for the total Aerobic Plate Count, the presence and enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus, yeasts and molds, Salmonella, coliforms and Escherichia coli. Spread plate methods were used for detection and enumeration. The following results were obtained: the Aerobic Plate Count of the samples ranged between 1x102 CFU/g and 8.2x105 CFU/g with an average of 8.2x104 CFU/g. S. aureus counts ranged between <20 CFU/g and 9.2x103 CFU/g with an average of 8.3x102 CFU/g. Yeasts and molds were present at counts ranging from <10 CFU/g to 2.2x105 CFU/g with an average of 2.5x104 CFU/g. Total coliform counts ranged between <30 CFU/g and 3.4x105 CFU/g with an average of 2.3x104 CFU/g. E. coli was present in ~37% of the samples (23 out of 63), while Salmonella was confirmed present in ~16% of the samples (10 out of 63). When compared with local and international standards, many of the samples showed unacceptable levels of microbial contamination. Certain impact factors were also determined when the samples were grouped according to their respective manufacturer, age, and processing method.

Pages: 127 to 137

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2018. Used with permission.

Publication date: December 30, 2018

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2660