International Journal of Microbiology and Application 2018; 5(3): 50-55 http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/ijma ISSN: 2381-442X (Print); ISSN: 2381-4438 (Online) Scanning Electron Microscopy of Fungi Isolated from Some Cake Samples Sherif Mohamed El-Kadi * , Husain Abdullah El-Fadaly, El-Said Metwaly El-Gayar Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt Email address * Corresponding author To cite this article Sherif Mohamed El-Kadi, Husain Abdullah El-Fadaly, El-Said MetwalyEl-Gayar. Scanning Electron Microscopy of Fungi Isolated from Some Cake Samples. International Journal of Microbiology and Application. Vol. 5, No. 3, 2018, pp. 50-55. Received: May 17, 2018; Accepted: June 13, 2018; Published: July 25, 2018 Abstract Thirty cake samples of twelve different companies were collected from Damietta and Dakahlia Governorates in September and October 2012. The highest value of total fungal counts was in C12 sample being 90.27×10 2 cfu/g and the lowest value was in B27 sample being 0.27×10 2 cfu/g. All samples were in production date except one sample (A4) was expired. The validity periods of most samples were between 3 and 6 months except one sample (C7) was one year. All samples were not in conformity with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality of cake (ES: 4037/2005). Fourteen fungal isolates were obtained from cake samples. Identification was based on the visual observation of fungal isolates grown on different cultivation media. The vegetative and reproductive strictness was observed by digital light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). From these characteristics, fungal isolates were identified as Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium sp. Keywords Cake, Fungal Examination, Rhizopus sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Scanning Electron Microscope 1. Introduction Pastries include cakes and baked shells filled with custard, cream, or sauces. They can be spoiled by microorganisms coming with the ingredients that are added after baking, such as icing, nuts, toppings, and cream. Most products, because of low a w , allow only molds to grow. However, some materials used as fillings may have high a w , which allows for bacterial growth [1]. The management of microbial food safety has evolved from mainly relying on product testing to process control approaches such as the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principle [2]. Microbiological risk is managed by governmental standards and regulations on distinct levels of food borne hazards that may not be exceeded. The current level of tolerable or acceptable risk the community is willing to accept is a political decision by risk managers and commonly termed the ‘‘Appropriate Level of Protection ALOP’’ [3]. Microbiological food safety is centered on the production of safer foods and mainly ensured by preventive approaches. Its primary goals are to minimize the risks of food borne pathogens and their toxins, reduce the incidence of human disease as well as facilitating domestic and international trade [4]. Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. are the common genera of fungi generally isolated from the bakery products. These fungi have been known to produce toxins, which are both acutely and chronically toxic for animal and humans [5]. A. flavus and A. parasiticus producing aflatoxins were isolated from different Egyptian foods. Fungi can produce their mycotoxins naturally in various agricultural products such cake. Fungi cause a significant yield reduction and economic losses because its commonly contaminate foods and crops. Also, they changes the texture, appearance, odor and taste of food, and it unsafe for human consumption because of there mycotoxins. The consumption of foods which contaminated with mycotoxin has been associated with several cases of human poisoning, sometimes resulting in death. Nowadays, fungi producing mycotoxins have been