Egypt. J. Vet. Sci. Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 193-208 (2022)
T
HE study was to apply the (HACCP) system guidelines for the frst time in a small
processing unit of soft cheese production in a small-scale cheese plant in the Agriculture
secondary school, Kafr El-sheikh governorate, Egypt, to obtain safe natural produced soft
cheese. The (PRPs) were primarily executed. The detection of CCPs and OPRPs was made
by applying a decision tree. The HACCP plan was investigated for microbial and chemical
hazards. The results refected that, raw milk was the most hazardous and important control
point as a raw material that contains high levels of total bacterial, total coliform, total fungi, and
Staph. aureus count (3×10
6
10
3
×2.3±CFU/ml, 0.72×10
3
± 0.2×10 CFU /ml, 1.08×10
4
10×0.9±,
and 2×10
3
10×1.5± CFU/ml), as a microbial hazard, respectively. The greatest serious chemical
hazard AfatoxinM1 was in all of the examined milk samples by(100%), 10% out of them
exceeded PL. (50ppt), subsequently, cheese samples contained AfatoxinM1 by (100%), 30%
of them exceeded the PL. Swab test results refected heavy microbial contamination. Staph.
aureus was detected from tables, food handlers, and hand washing basins with mean results of
1×10
2
0.3± x10, 2.8×10
4
1.1± x10
2
, and 3x10
6
2.3± x10
3
CFU/cm
2
, respectively. After HACCP
application, the total bacterial and fungi count in the cheese product reduced to 0.6×10±0.2×10
and 1×10 CFU/gm respectively, while coliform and Staph. aureus were not detected. Heavy
metals (Cadmium, Lead, and Arsenic) were not detected. Without PRPs application, HACCP
system could be applied on small processing units.
Keywords: HACCP, Small dairy plant, Microbial hazard, Chemical hazard, ISO 22000
23
A trial for Application of Food Safety Tool (HACCP) on Small
Cheese Processing Unit for Reduction of Microbiological and
Chemical Contamination.
Nahla A. Ebied
1*
, Ehab F. Elsebaey
2
, Mona E. Abass
3
, and Mostafa S. Abdou
4
1, 2
Department of Food Hygiene, Kafr El-Sheikh, Provincial Lab, Animal Health
Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt
3
Department of Biochemistry, Kafr El-Sheikh, Provincial Lab, Animal Health
Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt
4
Department of Bacteriology, Kafr El-Sheikh, Provincial Lab, Animal Health
Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt
Egyptian Journal of Veterinary Sciences
https://ejvs.journals.ekb.eg/
Corresponding author: Nahla A. Ebied, E-mail: nahla.nahla64@yahoo.com
(Received 18/11/2021; accepted 17/01/2022)
DOI. 10.21608/ejvs.2022.106705.1313
©2022 National Information and Documentation Centre (NIDOC)
Introduction
Dairy products consider one of the human diet
essential components, but various contaminants
can act as causative agents for many food-borne
diseases, as microorganisms, chemical pollutants,
and toxins [1]. Milk and its products are tangled
in 2-6% of foodborne diseases outbreaks in indus-
trialized countries [2].
Food poisoning outbreaks and Economic
losses through all the dairy production process
steps have been minimized by the development
of food safety management systems (FSMSs) and
standards revised by ISO [3,4].
HACCP was standardized by C A C [2]. As
a systematic preventive approach for food safety
that controls signifcant hazards and detects
each critical point that is important for food
safety throughout the food production chain [5].
The HACCP system aims to the prevention of
the hazard before controlling and is intended to
prevent problems before they occur [6]. Hazard