الفهرس 
Molds growth and toxin production:
Bacterial strainsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Ras cheese is the most popular type of hard cheese in Egypt. The production of this cheese increased in the last years due to the increasing of its consumption. The cheese usually consumed after a ripening period of not less than 3 months in the refrigerator. Therefore, the cheese under certain circumstances, liable to become contaminated with molds and their metabolites, the mycotoxins. In general, Ras cheese is an excellent substrate for mold growth, where it’s stored in moist and uncontrolled hygienic conditions. It becomes moldy during the ripening process as well as refrigerated storage. There is no doubt that the mold growth creates great problems in the cheese, which not only becomes undesirable, but also could produce moldy taints and mycotoxins in cheese, which may cause dangerous acute or chronic diseases. Thus mold growth on cheese causes economic losses through development of discoloration, poor appearance and off flavours. It may also lead to public health hazards due to production of toxic metabolites known as mycotoxins. Superficial removal of the visible mold gives no guarantee of safety to the consumer. Therefore, growth of molds and yeast must be prevented by means of food preservatives. It’s necessary to study and develop some nontoxic, non-carcinogenic natural preservatives for cheese. Spices and herbs have played an important role in human live pre-historic times. It was used not only for flavourring food but also for their antioxidative, preservative and medicinal properties.