Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are dangerous chemical compounds that can be formed by cooking foods at high temperatures. The aim of this study is to determine the level of contamination of PAH compounds with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on heat treated meat samples and the consumption of PAH compounds in meat samples, as well as the dietary exposure status and possible health risk estimation. In five different heat treated meat samples (meat doner, chicken doner, meatballs, grilled chicken, and fish), the total PAH (Σ16PAH) contamination level was 6.08, 4.42, 4.45, 4.91, and 7.26 μg/kg, respectively. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in meatballs and grilled fish samples had a level 0.70 and 0.73 μg/kg. All of the samples analyzed were found to be below the EU permitted limit (5 μg/kg) in terms of BaP. Estimates of daily intake (EDI) for a total of 16PAH in heat treated meat doner, chicken doner, meatballs, grilled chicken and fish samples were 3.41, 3.71, 2.49, 4.12, and 1.77 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. In this study, the average margin of exposure (MOE) value calculated was found in the range of 179.487 and 425.000 for BaP and PAH4. This study is the first study to provide important information in terms of evaluating the possible health risk that PAH compounds can create in people’s diets due to heat treatment of meat and meat products in Sivas, Turkey.

Abstract:This study was conducted to determine the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the ripening period of herby cheese made traditionally from raw cow milk. The cheese milk was inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at the level of 3 log and 5 log cfu/mL, and then both manufactured herby cheeses were divided into two groups equally. The herby cheeses were stored by using two different methods for ripening, either embedding into the soil or putting into brine, and analyzed on day 1, 7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 of ripening. At the end of the storage period, E. coli O157:H7 could not be detected in embedded herby cheese at both levels of the inoculation; whereas the number of the bacterium was just decreased to 2.30 and 4.48 log MPN/g in brined herby cheese for each inoculation levels respectively. Additionally, micrococci/staphylococci count, acidity and salt values in all cheese groups were higher compared than the initial level; total mesophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteriaceae count and a w value were lower than the initial level. While pH value was higher in embedded cheese than initial level, it was lower in brined cheese. In conclusion, E. coli O157:H7 could survive at least 60 days in embedded herby cheese and till the last days of the ripening in brined herby cheese. This point should be taken into account for the potential risk to public health.

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This study was conducted to determine the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium during the ripening period of herby cheese made traditionally from raw milk. For this purpose, the cheese milk was inoculated with S. Typhimurium at the level of 103 and 105 colony‐forming units/mL, and then both manufactured herby cheeses were divided into two groups equally. The herby cheeses were stored by using two different methods for ripening, either embedding into the soil or putting into brine, and analyzed on the 1st, 7th, 15th, 30th, 60th and 90th days of ripening period. At the end of the storage period, S.Typhimurium could not be detected in embedded herby cheese at both levels of the inoculation; whereas it was found that the number of the bacterium was just decreased to 2.60 and 3.15 log MPN/g in brined herby cheese for each inoculation levels, respectively. The results indicated that S. Typhimurium could survive at least 60 days in embedded herby cheese and till the last days of the ripening in brined herby cheese. This point should be taken into account for the potential risk to public health. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Milk and other dairy products may be contaminated with some pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella spp. Salmonella Typhimurium is an emerging food pathogen in cheeses when it contaminates the milk. In this study, the behavior of S. Typhimurium was investigated during ripening of herby cheeses. Herby cheese made traditionally from raw milk were stored either embedding into the soil or putting into brine. As a result, it was found that embedded cheeses were safer than brined cheeses with respect to the S. Typhimurium contamination at the end of the ripening period.

In this study, the presence and residue levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) were investigated in traditionally produced cube cheeses in Sivas and its region. For this purpose, 90 pieces of cube cheese were used as a material. Cheese samples were collected periodically in November and December 2016 from central sales location and surrounding villages. ELISA technique was applied in aflatoxin analyses. According to the analysis results, AFM1 was detected in total of the cube cheeses. The lowest level of AFM1 was found to be 2.16 ng/kg, the highest was 53.94 ng/kg and the mean was 6.36±0.87 ng/kg. AFM1 level vas determined one cheese sample above to the limit set by European Union.