Detection of Mineral and Microbial Contaminants in some Types of Imported Meat
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Abstract<p>The main target of the current study is to investigate the microbial content and mineral contaminants of the imported meat available in the city of Baghdad and to ensure that it is free from harmful bacteria, safe and it compliances with the Iraqi standard specifications. Some trace mineral elements such as (Iron, Copper, Lead, and Cadmium) were also estimated, where 10 brands of these meats were collected. Bacteriological tests were carried out which included (total bacterial count, <italic>Staphylococcus</italic> bacteria, <italic>Salmonella</italic> bacteria). The results showed highest number of total bacterial count 13×10<sup>5</sup> CFU/g in F8 brand, while the lowest number of bacteria 5×101 CFU/g in F3 brand. However, <italic>Staphylococcal</italic> bacteria showed the highest number of 66×10<sup>2</sup> CFU/g in F7 brand, while the lowest number of <italic>Staphylococcal</italic> bacteria amounted to 1×10<sup>1</sup> CFU/g in F9 brand. The number of <italic>Salmonella</italic> bacteria in imported meat samples, the two brands contained <italic>Salmonella</italic> bacteria were (F2, F7), while the other brands were free of <italic>Salmonella</italic> bacteria. The results showed that the highest concentration of Cu was 1.658 μg/g in F7 brand, whereas the lowest concentration of Cu was in F6 brand amounting to 0.093 μg/g. However, highest concentration of Pb reached 0.040 μg/g in F6 brand, while the lowest concentration of Pb was recorded in F2 brand reaching 0.002 μg/g. Furthermore, the highest concentration of Cd was 0.004 μg/g in F7 brand whereas the lowest detected concentration of Cd was in (F1, F4, F5, F9, and F10) brands reaching 0.000 μg<sup>/</sup>g.</p>
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