Microbiological quality of hawawshy consumed in Ismailia, Egypt

The focus of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of hawawshy from vending shops in Ismailia Province, Egypt. Microbiological analysis of hawawshy resulted in aerobic plate counts from 2 × 103 to 4 × 106 cfu/g and spore counts from 2 × 102 to 5 × 104 cfu/g. Total coliforms ranged from 3 to 2400 MPN/g while Enterobacteriaceae counts ranged from 6 × 10 to 8 × 102 cfu/g and enterococci counts were 3 × 103 to 6 × 10 5 cfu/g. Escherichia coli, coagulase positive staphylococci and fecal streptococci were detected in 17.3, 14.6 and 57.3% of examined samples, respectively. Salmonella spp. was not detected. Different Enterobacteriaceae spp. such as Citrobacter freundi, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia liquefaciens were isolated with different percentages. The obtained results indicate that consumption of hawawshy may constitute a public health hazard, and as a consequence, handling practices should require more attention and improvement. © 2006, The Author(s).