Aisha Ahmed Aljarwan , Mariam Ahmed Rashid , Afra Ahmed Aljarwan , Sara Abdelaziz Mohamed Ahmed Alyassi
Quality assessment of some popular cheeses, including labneh consumed in the Emirate of Sharjah. (Graduation Project: 2022-2023, BSc, Spring 2023)
The aim of this research project is to assess the microbiological quality characteristics of various types of cheese which is one of the most famous types of dairy products that are usually consumed in the United Arab Emirates, specifically in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Approximately, 30 different types of cheese samples, including: Unpacked Sliced Cheese (Freshly cut on the day of purchase), Packed Sliced Cheese (Packaged form the company), Unpackaged fresh cream cheese, unpacked fresh creamy labneh and finally some types of labneh balls, were used in our study. The selection of the cheese samples to be assessed in our study, was based on the popularity of cheeses, purchased from well-known retail stores and widely consumed by in the area. The rationale of our study also included one of the most important factors that attracted our attention, and that is the food handling conditions of the workers in the processing operations within the supermarket retail stores. In addition to monitoring the microbiological quality of the different samples of cheese, we also monitored the pH values of the cheese samples. Finally, concluding it can be said that the types of the cheeses examined, favored and being popular by the consumers in the Emirates Sharjah, do not seem to pose a major food safety issue, apart from a few cases of Staphylococcus aureus, that has been detected higher than the currently set guideline limit values for cheese. It can be recommended to consumers that purchasing of the samples should be done, either on the day of purchase, or by carefully checking the shelf-life of the product, and its expiry date. Additionally, consumers should make sure to consume these products within the set (labelled) shelf-life date, not allowing further multiplication of bacteria to reach high numbers (causing spoilage) and or even raising potential food safety issues to some sensitive consumers. As a final recommendation to consumers, is that proper food safety handling and food safety culture education webinars/seminars, should be given to consumers, especially in handling foods that are perishable. Additionally, as this area and also other areas of the UAE, are having high temperatures for most of the year, transportation of samples should be controlled (such as use of ice packs) not allowing multiplication of microbes, and finally in view of the fact that some home refrigerators may be operating at mild abuse temperature conditions (T’s above 7 oC).