title: Microbiological quality of retail spices in Tehran, Iran.
abstract: The microbiological quality of 351 samples of nine types of spices including black pepper, caraway, cinnamon, cow parsnip, curry powder, garlic powder, red pepper, sumac, and turmeric, collected from retail shops in Tehran during 2007, was determined. The numbers of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Escherichia coli, and molds exceeded Iran's National Standard limits, at 63.2% (>5 × 10(5) CFU/g), 23.4% (>0.3 MPN/g), and 21.9% (>5 × 10(3) CFU/g) of the studied samples, respectively. Coliform contamination was more than 10(3) MPN/g in 24.8% of samples. High contamination of retail spices is considered an indication of environmental or fecal contamination due to unhygienic practices in their production. Use of spices with high microbial content could increase the chance of food spoilage and transmission of foodborne pathogens. Accordingly, application of food safety measurements to reduce microbial counts in spices is strongly recommended.
authors: Department of Food Technology, Research National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box, 19395-4741, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Paliz
authors: P
authors: Koohy-Kamaly-Dehkordy
authors: Houshang
authors: H
authors: Nikoopour
authors: Farideh
authors: F
authors: Siavoshi
authors: Mohammadreza
authors: M
authors: Koushki
authors: Alireza
authors: A
authors: Abadi
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D017365:Spices / Q000382:microbiology*