Abstract
This study aims to assess the microbial quality and spreading of Listeria species in popular traditional foods and dairy products available in Karak, Jordan. A total of 120 food samples were tested for Listeria species, Aerobic Plate Count, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, yeasts and molds. Four Listeria species were detected in all tested samples except for Motabbal Al-bathinjan. The isolated species belonged to L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii, L. innocua and L. grayi. Four Enterobacteriaceae species were isolated which belonged to the genera Enterobacter, Citrobacter; Escherichia and Klebsiella. Salmonella was not isolated from any sample while the average counts of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk, soft cheese, Labaneh, Hoummos, Fool and Motabbal Al-bathinjan ranged from 0.0 to 2.6 Log CFU/g, whereas the average counts of yeast and molds ranged from 1.4-5.2 Log CFU/g. Results of this study emphasize the importance of improving safety of traditional foods to prevent illness to public health.