Along with the high nutritional value, milk represents an excellent medium for the growth of certain microorganisms, some of which can be life threatening. Milk fat has been found to affect the survival of L. monocytogenes in milk. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of milk fat in the survival of L. monocytogenes in milk under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Four compartments (saliva, gastric, small intestine and large intestine) mimicking the human physiological conditions were established to evaluate the viability of L. monocytogenes inoculated in milk. Given that milk is generally consumed as a breakfast meal, the evaluation was done in the fasted state of the gastrointestinal system. A decrease to 5 log10 CFU/ mL was determined in saliva compartment, in the evaluation after 48 h of cold storage. In the viable but not countable evaluation, L. monocytogenes counts were determined to be 8 log10 CFU/ mL for skim milk and semi-skim milk, and 9 log10 CFU/ mL for whole fat milk in the saliva compartment. Regardless the fat content, L. monocytogenes was not detected in any of the milk groups in the lower parts of the simulated gastrointestinal compartments.

Objective: Functional foods are foods that beneficially affect one or more functions in the body beyond their adequate nutritional effects. This study is aimed to reveal the knowledge levels and attitudes of undergraduate students in the department of nutrition and dietetics about probiotics and their products with survey data. Material and Methods: The questions of the survey were prepared after the researchers searched the literature on relevant subjects and the data were obtained with an online survey collection tool (Google forms). The survey form consists of 3 parts including sociodemographic information, knowledge of probiotic products and consumption of probiotic foods, and opinions about probiotic products of students. The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration Principles. Results: This study was carried out with the voluntary participation of 221 of 274 students in Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. As a result of the study, statistically significant (p

Aim: The aim of this study is to microbiologically evaluate the hygienic conditions of a mass catering business in Burdur, focusing on personnel, food contact surfaces, and ambient air. Materials and Methods: In the research, various microbiological analyses were performed on samples taken from red, green, and yellow cutting boards, the hands of food preparation personnel, and the ambient air. Results: Staphylococcus/Micrococcus was detected at a 3.33x10² CFU/cm² level on the red cutting board. At the same time, total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) and yeast-mold were found at levels of 4.07x10³ CFU/cm² and 3.67x10² CFU/cm², respectively, on the yellow cutting board. Additionally, as a result of the study, the counts of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeast-mold, coliforms, and Staphylococcus/Micrococcus on the hands of the kitchen staff were determined as 3.37x10³ CFU/cm², 5.67x10³ CFU/cm², 4.77x10³ CFU/cm², and 1.3x10³ CFU/cm², respectively. Furthermore, a high level of yeast-mold contamination was identified in the ambient air. These findings indicate significant deficiencies in the hygienic conditions of both the cutting boards and the personnel. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results from this research demonstrate that the presence of microorganisms that should not be found on utensils and other samples from the mass catering business suggests a failure to fully adhere to proper hygienic standards, reflecting poor personnel hygiene. Given that a lack of hygiene poses a potential risk to consumer health, improving hygienic practices and ensuring traceability in mass catering establishments is critical.

The focus of the present study was to evaluate the bioactive properties of Capparis spinosa (caper) fruits and to investigate some quality parameters of Tulum cheese with addition of caper. Analyses for the phytochemical components of caper fruit used in the production of Tulum cheese showed that it has high levels of bioactive components in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolics, and flavonoids. It was determined that C. spinosa, which is used in the production of Tulum cheese, had a good radical scavenging activity (DPPH radical assay). Four experimental groups were arranged in the present study and analyzed on the 1, 30, 45, 60, and 90th day of ripening. T_C was designed as the control group, T_C1, T_C2, and T_C4 groups contained 1, 2, and 4% of caper. According to the obtained results as the content of caper increased, dry matter ratios, ash, pH values, tyrosine and free fatty acid values in cheese increased significantly. The microbiological evaluation revealed that the caper affected positively Lactobacillus spp. counts. The highest aroma and taste scores among caper cheeses were given to the control group (T_C). Generally, caper did not have a negative effect on the textural profile of the product. These results revealed that C. spinosa contributes to the improvement of the bioactive potential as well as increasing the quality parameters of cheese.Keywords: Caper; Bioactive properties; Functional dairy; Microbiological properties; Tulum cheese