title: Evaluation of Microbial Contamination and Chemical Qualities of Cream-filled Pastries in Confectioneries of Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari Province (Southwestern Iran).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High consumption of bakery products such as cream-filled pastries may cause serious health risks and food poisoning to humans. Therefore, investigation of the microbial and chemical qualities of bakery products containing cream is necessary. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the chemical qualities and microbial contaminations of cream-filled pastries collected from confectioneries located in six cities in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province (Southwestern Iran).
  
  
  METHODS
  Microbial tests and chemical characteristics (fat and acidity level) were done on 228 cream-filled pastries samples that were collected randomly from various confectioneries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After microbial tests, it was found that 33.33% of all samples were contaminated by microbial agents. The microbial tests showed that Shahrekord (10.09%) and Broujen (9.21%) cities had high levels of contamination and in Koohrang (1.31%) it was low compared with the other four cities. High contamination of coliforms (61.84%), staphylococci (48.68%), and yeast (27.63%) were observed in almost all samples. The chemical analysis showed maximum amounts of fat content and titratable acidity in cream-filled pastry samples obtained from Lordegan and Shahrekord cities, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present work demonstrated that the microbial contamination and chemical quality of cream-filled pastries produced in confectionaries of Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province were not in acceptable ranges. These problems may be related to fecal contamination of cream samples or lack of hygiene by handlers and it is necessary to observe the standards of hygiene and to develop safe food handling techniques and aseptic pastry manufacturing systems in some confectioneries of Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharifzadeh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajsharifi-Shahreza
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ghasemi-Dehkordi
keywords: Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province; chemical qualities; cream-filled pastries; microbial contamination