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Background and objectives: Dried Black Curd (DBC), also known as Gharahghorut (Persian), is a dairy product produced from curd of yogurt or doogh. The aim of this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of industrially and traditionally produced DBC in Iran. Methods: Four DBC brands holding certification of the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI), Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (IMHME) and ISO were purchased from a market in Tehran, Iran. Microbial monitoring for presence of coliform, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus, mold and yeast was performed using different basic, enriched, selective and differential media including peptone water agar, MacCankey agar, blood agar and brain heart infusion agar, etc. according to the ISIRI standards (No.13299). Results: None of the tested samples had microbial contamination. However, in one traditional DBC sample, the population of mold and yeast was higher than the acceptable level defined by the ISIRI standard. Conclusion: We found no contamination with coagulase-positive S. aureus, E. coli and coliforms in four brands of traditionally and industrially produced DBC in Iran. This indicates that the hygienic practices designated by the IMHME are well-implemented in the industrial sector. However, the mold and yeast contamination in traditionally produced DBC should be prevented by applying hygienic practices during the process of manufacturing and distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The microbial communities of traditional milk-based food are of great importance in its manufacturing process, especially when using raw milk with natural cultures. Liqvan (Lighvan or Levan) is a traditional Iranian buried cheese, which is made from raw ewe's milk without a starter addition. The aim of this study was to explore the fungal active population during this cheese manufacturing process by comparing DNA and RNA based culture independent method Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Materials and Methods: Four samples of each milk, curd and ripened cheese were collected from Liqvan village located in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. Total DNA and RNA of each sample were extracted and PCR amplicons of D1 region of 26S rRNA gene was targeted for DGGE analysis. This method applied at both DNA and RNA levels in order to examine which taxonomic groups of fungi are active at each step of ripening. Results: DGGE profiles of yeast amplicons showed different results between extracted DNA and RNA during ripening process. However, the main group that is present in all stages of ripening process belongs to the genus Candida although Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Galactomyces, Saccharomyces and Cryptococcus are most abundant fungi. Conclusion: As no starter culture added to Liqvan cheese it seems fungal diversity are mainly rely on the indigenous microbiota of milk. Furthermore, the percentage of the dominant fungal genera from the total sequences differed among DNA and cDNA libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an enveloped DNA virus belongs to Hepadnaviridea family. HBV infection is a serious global health problem, with 2 billion people infected worldwide, and 350 million suffering from chronic HBV infection. The aim of this study was to determine the serological pattern and molecular characterization of HBV diversity in asymptomatic blood donors in Iran alongside with the mutation status of HBV in relation to blood safety. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty six samples from asymptomatic blood donors who were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen during 2012 to 2014 were selected. The serological and molecular markers were analyzed by screening HBsAb, HBcAb, HBeAg and HBeAb and HBV-DNA. For detection of HBV genotypes and possible mutations, HBV polymerase and pre core/core regions were sequenced. Results: In term of serologic markers of HBV, 100% of asymptomatic blood donors were HBsAg positive and 97.6%, 92.2%, 5.4% and 2.4% of them were HBcAb, HBeAb, HBeAg and HBsAb positive respectively in asymptomatic blood donors. The maximum of samples viral load was 4.41 × 107 IU/ml for HBeAg positive blood donors. While the minimum and maximum of viral load in HBeAb positive samples was 1.21 × 102 IU/ml and 1 × 106 IU/ml respectively and the mean of viral load in HBeAb positive samples was 5.882 × 103 IU/ml. About 9.7% of HBeAb positive samples had a pre core mutation that is related to stopping the synthesis of HBeAg and only genotype D was prevalent in asymptomatic blood donors. Conclusion: This study showed that from 166 samples most of them were in a chronic phase of HBV infection and just 5.4% of asymptomatic blood donors were in the acute phase or acute chronic phase of HBV infection. The major risk factor for HBV infection was a familial history of HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halophilic bacteria which adapted to live under extreme conditions are worthy sources of enzymes in industrial microbiology and bioremediation. This study aimed to isolate halophilic bacteria which are able to use crude oil as the only carbon source. Fifteen soil samples were collected from Alborz oil field near city Qom, Iran. Liquid mediums containing soil samples, 5,10 and 15% of artificial sea water (ASW) and crude oil as the sole carbon source incubated at 37 °C for one week. Two gram negative moderately halophilic bacteria designated BM1 and BM2 were isolated. Supplementary molecular analysis using 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that they belong to Halomonas and Ochrobactrum genera, respectively. Biochemical tests showed they are both positive for extracellular lipase activity. Considering to cleanup the majority of oil contamination at Alborz oil field, further efforts should be focused on research to understand the degradation mechanism and identification of the enzymes involved in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt lakes represent an extreme habitat for prokaryotes which tolerate significant concentration of NaCl. Many studies on screening and characterization of these microorganisms have been done, however, very little reported about urease producer halophilic bacteria. The present study aimed to isolate urease positive bacteria from Bahr Al-Milh Salt Lake, Karbala, Iraq. A total of 161 gram positive and 57 gram negative bacteria were found which one third of them showed the ability to produce urease. 16S rDNA sequencing analysis showed the isolated bacteria belong to genus Bacillus, Virgibacillus, Halobacillus and Staphylococcus. Further studies focusing on the enzyme structures and encoding genes are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Paper and paperboard packaging play an important role in safety and quality of food products. Common bacteria of paper and paperboard food packaging could grow due to specific conditions included humidity, temperature and major nutrition to contaminate the food. The purpose of this research was to investigate numbers and the types of bacteria in the food packaging paperboard. Materials and Methods: The surface and the depth of the each paperboard sample were examined by the dimension of one cm² and one gram. The paperboard samples were randomly collected from popular confectionaries and fast food restaurants in Tehran, Iran. Results: The results indicated the range of 0.2x10³ to >1.0x105 cfu/1g bacterial contamination in paperboard food packaging. Also, most detected bacteria were from spore forming and family Bacillaceae. Conclusion: The bioburden paperboard used for food packaging showed high contamination rate more than standard acceptance level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]