Asian Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences (ISSN: 2321 – 1571) Volume 11 – Issue 1, February 2023 Asian Online Journals (www.ajouronline.com) 1 Incidence of Salmonella in Traditional White Cheese in Gaza Markets, Palestine Iyad A. M. Alzaeem University College of Science & Technology, (Gaza, Palestine) Email: i.zaeem [AT] ucst.edu.ps _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT— Introduction: Salmonella has gained more interest because it cause food borne illnesses. Traditional soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk may contain salmonella. Methods: A descriptive study was performed, one hundred and four samples of fresh white cheese collected from street venders and the local markets to investigate the incidence of salmonella in fresh white cheese in Gaza. Results: Salmonella was found in four samples of "Traditional cheese". Differences between percentages of samples were not statistically significant. Conclusion: traditional cheese highly contaminated and usually exceeded the Palestinian Standard. The detection of Salmonella spp. suggests that traditional soft cheese commercialized in Gaza may represent a health risk for the consumers. Keywords—Traditional white cheese, Salmonella, Food microbiology, Palestine. _________________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Cheese classification is based on different criteria such as moisture content into hard cheese (30- 40 %), semi-soft (40- 50%) and soft (50-70%) (Abu El-Naja, 2003). It is also classified according to the source of milk (ewes and cows) and according to fat content (Palestinian Standard PS, 1999). Palestinian fresh white cheese is a kind of soft cheese made of cows' and ewes' milk, by factories or by farmers, eaten fresh and has rich nutrient contents, the moisture content is no more than 60 %, fat content is never less than 16%, salt concentration ranges from 2 to 4% (increased percentage is allowed if it is written on label). It has a high moisture value and nearly low acidity; this makes the cheese an adequate culture medium for the growth of a wide variety of bacteria. Some of these bacteria are known to cause food-borne illness. Palestinian Annual Report (2004) detected that of 1203 samples of milk and milk products, 440 samples (36.6 %) did not comply with microbiological criteria of (PS). Also, a study made in Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt (2003) showed that, about 90% of 1750 samples of fresh white cheese were contaminated by harmful bacteria. Raw or pasteurized milk and cheese frequently implicated as vehicles of transmission of pathogenic bacteria and with outbreaks all over the world (Flowers et al., 1992). However, the Food and Drug Administration FDA (2005) advises that some soft cheeses made from raw milk present a health risk, especially to high-risk groups such as the pregnant, the newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune system. Rampling, likewise, (1996) detected that some outbreaks of food-borne illness has clearly linked with the consumption of cheese. Cheese generally considered a relatively 'safe' food because the pasteurization process of (71.7°C for 15 sec) high-temperature, short time (HTST) is one of the major critical control points in the cheese- making process that prevents pathogenic microorganisms in the raw milk from contaminating the finished product. Although heat treatment destroys some species of microorganisms, some pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli O157 may survive and thus contaminate the final product even though the milk has received a moderate heat process. Also, recontamination is possible due to insufficient cleaning and disinfection of the exterior of the udder or due to microbial penetration of the ducts (Smith, 1998). The environmental conditions, which have effects on contamination such as dust from sweepings, silage, manure and bedding materials, may contribute to the microbial load found in/ on the udder of the cow. Thus, the number of bacteria in aseptically tired milk from the healthy cows ranges from few hundreds to few thousand organisms per milliliter, other than bacteria, which are rarely found due to infection, disease, or poor milking practices (Harmon, 1995). This Microbiota (microflora) can reach the milk from the udder and may be increased by the labors, tools and handlers during the cheese process, but on the other hand, there are many steps in the process that may decrease the number as well as the types of microbiota such as milk clarification and pasteurization .