Investigation of Microbiological Quality of Traditional Mardin Sucuk

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in traditional products due to a general tendency that homemade products are more nutritious and healthier than industrial-type products. The Mardin Sucuk, which is a traditional meat product produced during the winter season in butcher shops or houses. It is fermented and dried under natural conditions and supplied for consumption. This study was performed to investigate the microbiological quality of sucuks that are produced with traditional methods and sold in small butcher shops in Mardin province. A total of 24 sucuk samples consisting of 19 with intestine casing, 4 with fabric casing and 1 with şirden casing were purchased from butchers in the city center of Mardin on the same day. All of the samples were analyzed for total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, coagulase-positive staphilococci, coliform, yeast and molds. Microbiological analyses were performed by petri plaque method. Out of 24 samples, 16 (66.6%) were found positive for coagulase-positive staphylococci. The average counts were 5.51 log CFU / g, 6.68 log CFU / g and 7.51 log CFU / g for mold yeast, coliform and mesophilic bacteria respectively. These products, which are produced under uncontrolled conditions by a non-standardized method, can pose health risks. For this reason, it is important that the enterprises producing such products should be strictly controlled for microbiological quality assurance and supervised to increase the awareness for producing healthy products