Abstract:
Instant noodles and the accompanying seasonings have gained popularity because of its convenience and affordability
among young population in most country of the World. In this study the microbial quality (bacteria and fungi) of three
different brands of noodles (designated as A, B and C) with their accompanying seasonings commonly marketed and
consumed in Romania were investigated. The samples were serially diluted and poured in Petri plates. One gram of
each brand of noodles and seasonings was aseptically transferred into 9 ml of sterile distilled water. Potato dextrose
agar (PDA) in different compositions (classic, with streptomycin and rose-bengal stain) were the media used in this
research. The least microbial load was obtained by heating samples at 100°C for 10 min. Sample B had the highest
bacterial count of 16×103
cfu/g for cold noodles, and also the highest count of 6.6×103
cfu/g for hot noodles. For the
seasonings, the total bacterial count varied from 6.6×103
cfu/g (sample A) to 33×103
cfu/g (sample B). The total fungal
count of all samples was slightly higher than that of the bacterial counts. Microbial analysis showed the presence of
Gram negative bacteria as predominant bacteria type (e.g. Pseudomonas spp), while Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Penicillum
were the three isolated genera of fungi. Penicillum was the most frequently isolated genera of fungi in case of all brands
of noodles.
