title: Isolation and identification of bacteria from paperboard food packaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Paper and paperboard packaging play an important role in safety and quality of food products. Common bacteria of paper and paperboard food packaging could grow due to specific conditions included humidity, temperature and major nutrition to contaminate the food. The purpose of this research was to investigate numbers and the types of bacteria in the food packaging paperboard.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surface and the depth of the each paperboard sample were examined by the dimension of one cm(2) and one gram. The paperboard samples were randomly collected from popular confectionaries and fast food restaurants in Tehran, Iran.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated the range of 0.2×10(3) to >1.0×10(5) cfu/1g bacterial contamination in paperboard food packaging. Also, most detected bacteria were from spore forming and family Bacillaceae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bioburden paperboard used for food packaging showed high contamination rate more than standard acceptance level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Shahid Beheshti, Evin, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mashhadi Mohammadzadeh-Vazifeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Shahid Beheshti, Evin, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Masoud
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Diagnostic Laboratory, Parcham St, Tohid Sq, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shamsolmoluk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khajeh-Nasiri
authors.affiliation: Pasteur Diagnostic Laboratory, Parcham St, Tohid Sq, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shabnam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Shahid Beheshti, Evin, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Javad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fakhari
keywords: Bacterial contamination; Bioburden; Family Bacillaceae; Food packaging; Paperboard