Evaluation and improvement of some traditional rural foods

Abstract

Forty-Six samples of common foods consumed (rice, bread, pie and cooked vegetables) in the villages at Ismailia Governorate were collected from Abo-Khalyfa, El-Wasfia and Sarabiuin. All tested samples were stored in sterilized polyethylene bags at 4° C until chemical and microbiological analysis. The data showed that moisture, protein and ash contents in cooked vegetables were the highest compared with those found in all food types. At the same time, some samples exceeded the minimum acceptable microbiological standards for Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. The control measures of cooked foods should be refrigerated immediately to minimize the numbers of micro-organisms in order to prevent its germination and outgrowth .