الفهرس 
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Abstract
Quality control of the exported and imported spices and medicinal plants is a vital process. The aim of this work is to study the bacterial and
fungal flora of some exported spices and medicinal plants and to evaluate the microbial activity of fungal isolates as toxigenic and spoilage agents.
Also,this study pointed at the assessment of the antimicrobial properties of the spices and the medicinal plants to minimize the risk of the infection associated with these products and finally improve the hygiene of processing, handling, storage and shipment.
I. Enumeration of the commonly encountered microorganisms which isolated from the selected five spices and medicinal plants on various
selective and non-selective culture media using different ”ISO” methods (International Organization for Standardization).One hundred
and fifty samples of the selected five medicinal plants and spices were collected; thirty samples of each of basil, chamomile, mint, marjoram
and fennel were screened for the isolation of bacterial and fungal isolates. All bacterial isolates were subjected to one thousand and four
hundred microbial analytsis for enumeration of TPC (Total Plate Count), Enterobacteriaceae, Coliforms, Fecal coliforms, E. coli,Clostridium perfrengens, Enterococci and detection of Salmonella.
The obtained results showed that the highest mean log of TPC,Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, fecal coliforms, Enterococci,Clostridium perfringens and E.coli were detected in chamomile as
6.08, 5.50, 5.34, 4.87, 4.21, 2.18 and 2.92 cfu/g respectively, while the lowest mean log of them were detected in fennel as 3.25, 2.85,2.16, 2.02, 1.97, 1.36 and 1.00 cfu/g respectively.
II. Enumeration and identification of mold and yeast isolates.
A total of 150samples of spices and medicinal plants were screened for the isolation of yeast and mold.
The obtained results showed that Aspergillus niger was the most prevalent. It was represented by four hundred and twenty eight isolates (32.08%) in basil, one hundred and ninty isolates (28.83%) in chamomile, seven hundred and twenty nine isolates (34.45%) in
mint, five hundred and fourty six isolates (36.45%) in marjoram and
fourty five isolates (7.19%) in fennel. In all the collected samples (150samples) of the selected five medicinal plants and spices, various genera and species were detected; seven species of Aspergillus
(Aspergillusglaucus(13.48%),Aspergillus versicolor (3.05%),Aspergillus nidulaus (7.78%), Aspergillus niger (31.09%),Aspergillus flavus (3.29%), Aspergillus terreus (1.97%) and
Aspergillus flavipes (2.04%), Alternaria alternate (7.24%),Acremonium strictum (23.34%), Rhizopus orrhizus (2.15%),Fusarium solani (4.09%) and Absidia corymbifeza (0.48%). The
prevalence of molds in the different herbs ranged from 10.04% in fennel to 33.95% in dry mint.
In the present study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the most prevalent fungus. It was represented by one isolate (3.3%) in chamomile, three isolates in fennel (10.0%). In all the collected samples (150 samples) of the selected five spices and medicinal
plants, seven yeast isolates were detected; Saccharomyces rosinii(1.3%), Candid rugosa(2.0%),Debaromyces hansenii(2.0%),
Lipomyces libofore(1.3%),Trichosporon Jirovecii (0.7%),Saccharomyces cerevisiae(2.7%)and Candida glabrata (2.0%).The prevalence of yeast in the different herbs ranged from 0.0% in basil to
38.9% in chamomile.
III.To minimize the risk of infection associated with spices and medicinal plants, the study of antimicrobial effect of other spices was studied;
the antibacterial effect of hibiscus was estimated.
A. Fifty spices and medicinal plant samples were subjected to four hundred microbial analyses. They were ten samples of each of marjoram, dry mint, chamomile, basil and fennel.
These samples were analyzed before and after treatment by the hibiscus extract.
B. After treatment with hibiscus extract, the highest percentage of reduction was found mainly in marjoram for all examined microorganisms except for Closrtidium perfringens (5.21%),while the lowest percentage of reduction was found
mainly in basil except for Enterococci (28.82%).
C. Regarding the effect of hibiscus extract on Salmonella and E.coli reference strains, it was found that Salmonella and E.coli were not detected (<10cfu/g) in different concentrations of sterile hibiscus extract (SHE).
D. All the commodities containing hibiscus either SHE (sterile hibiscus extract) or SH (sterile hibiscus) or NSH (non sterile hibiscus) Salmonella was not detected except in concentration ratio (SHE: BPW) of 1:3 where the lowest
concentration of hibiscus was found
E. The antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of cinnamon,curcuma and ginger using sensitivity test was detected against the isolated mold and yeast from spices and medicinal plants (60 isolates of molds and 18 isolates of yeast). All the mould isolates were resistant to the curcuma and ginger
extracts (≤8mm). In case of cinnamon extract, nine mold isolates were intermediate as follow; Aspergillus glaucus from dry mint (9mm),
Alternaria alternate from dry mint (10mm), Alternaria alternata from basil (10mm), Fusarium solani from chamomile (10mm),Fusarium solani
from dry mint (9mm), Alternaria alternata from dry mint (9mm),Alternaria alternate from dry mint (11mm), Acremonium strictum from
marjoram (11mm), and Aspergillus terreus from dry mint (9mm).
Eighteen mold isolates were sensitive to cinnamon extract; Aspergillus nidulaus from basil (12mm), Aspergillus versicolor from basil (12mm),
Alternaria alternata from dry mint (17mm), Aspergillus versicolor from marjoram (17mm), Aspergillus glaucus from dry mint (22mm),
Aspergillus versicolor from dry mint (15mm), Alternaria alternata from dry mint (19mm), Fusarium solani from dry mint (12mm), Alternaria alternata from dry mint (14mm), Alternaria alternata from chamomile
(15mm), Absidia corymbifeza from dry mint (16mm), Aspergillus flavus from chamomile (13mm), Acremonium strictum from basil (16mm),Alternaria alternata from fennel (13mm), Acremonium strictum from fennel (12mm), Acremonium strictum from chamomile (13mm),
Acremonium strictum from dry mint (15mm) and Aspergillus flavipes from dry mint (22mm). Other mold isolates were resistant to cinnamon
extract.
All yeast isolates were resistant to the ethanolic extract of each of curcuma and cinnamon (the inhibition zone ranged from one to six mm),
while in case of ethanolic extract of ginger, only two yeast isolates were intermediate (Lipomyces libofore and Debaromyces hansenii) with
inhibition zone of 10mm.Other yeast isolates were sensitive to ginger extract with inhibition zones ranged from 12mm to 30mm.
IV. The toxigenicity of mold isolates was estimated.
Sixty isolates of moulds were isolated from five different medicinal plants (majoram, mint, chamomile, basil and fennel) and were tested for
the production of Aflatoxines, Zerianone and Ochratoxines.
Seven mold isolates out of sixty produced mycotoxins (11.7%).
Aspergillus flavus from marjoram produced aflatoxin B1 (160μg/ml) and aflatoxin B2 (50μg/ml), while Aspergillus glaucus from basil, Aspergillus flavus from basil and Aspergillus niger from marjoram produced aflatoxin G1 as 3.3μg/ml,25 μg/ml and 7.5μg/ml respectively. Aspergillus nidulaus from basil, Aspergillus glaucus from dry mint and Aspergillus
versicolor from mint produced Zeralenone.