Effect of storage conditions on the microbial quality of fermented foods.

Abstract: Fermented foods are those which have been subjected to the action of microorganism or enzyme so that the desirable biochemical changes cause significant modification to food. Many fermented milk products which are eaten as they are, contains living microorganisms. By tradition, Lactic acid bacteria are the most commonly used microorganism for preservation of food. Food additives are specifically added to prevent the deterioration of food which may be caused by microorganisms, by food enzymes or by purely chemical reactions. Food and Industrial microbiology have been a growing field of interest in the last couple of years. Researchers have concentrated their activities on studying the microbes linked with public health. Many of the fermented foods are preserved products in that their shelf life is extended considerably over that of the raw materials from which they are made. Microbial growth was thought necessary to either produce a sufficient number of cells or enough toxin to cause food borne illness.Since then researchers have done various studies and learned that several pathogens can grow at refrigeration temperature. Different samples of fermented dairy products were taken to check the effect of storage condition such as temperature and preservative on the microbial quality of these foods. Total bacterial count was determined in the sample.In the present study, it was observed that microorganisms were not prevalent at 0°C,few at 4°C and normal range at 37°C and room temperature. In the samples added with class II preservatives sample 1 contained maximum number of microbial count on 0 day and less with sample 3. Key word: