Microbiological safety analysis of cream-filled pastries

Abstract

Cream-filled pastry is a group of ready-to-eat foods that requires no further processing before consumption. These pastries are composed of perishable ingredients that support the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms due to their high water activity; therefore high level of hygiene is required during manufacture. This type of sweets contributed to several food poisoning outbreaks in different regions in Lebanon and the number of cases continued to increase over years in absence of the governments supervision and role in maintaining the safety of foods. In this study microbiological tests for pathogenic and indicator bacteria in addition to tests for the detection of the total aflatoxin level in flour were conducted in the food microbiology laboratory in the University of Balamand. The tests were performed on 45 samples of cream-filled cakes and custard filled éclairs collected directly from bakeries, from vehicles during transports and from minimarkets. Samples were tested at ambient temperature and after incubation at 30⁰C for 42hours. Unfortunately, the results showed high level of contamination in almost all samples. The level of contamination has increased when the temperature has increased and when progressing in the food chain, which indicated a lack in following the basic hygiene rules and good manufacturing practices in all bakeries and failure in maintaining good storage conditions and handling practices during transport and display.