en Food Safety and Hygiene Food Safety and Hygiene پژوهشي Original Article <span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:normal"><b>Background: </b>Consumption of artisanal foods, such as Shir Berenj, is common in Iran. Nevertheless, little evidence can be found about the safety of traditional foods in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological and chemical quality of Shir Berenj samples in Khouzestan province.</span><br> <span style="line-height:normal"><b>Methods: </b>Shir Berenj<b> </b>samples were collected from Ahvaz, Shoushtar, Andimeshk, and Dezful. They were put in an ice pack and transferred to the laboratory. Microbiological (total count, psychrophile count, mold and yeast, <i>S. aureus</i>, <i>Salmonella</i>, <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>, and <i>E. coli</i>) and chemical (fat content, pH, and dry matter) tests were carried out to determine the safety and quality of samples.</span><br> <span style="line-height:normal"><b>Results: </b>According to Iran standards, 96% of<b> </b>Shir Berenj samples were rejected. The data showed that microbial contamination was the most critical problem for the safety of Shir Berenj samples. Merely 70 % of samples were contaminated with <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> beyond the standard limit. Moreover, 50 % of samples were contaminated with <i>Escherichia coli</i>, indicating poor hygienic conditions.</span><br> <span style="line-height:normal"><b>Conclusion: </b>Surveillance organizations should be more watchful about the safety of Shir Berenj. We suggest that appropriate approaches should be used to improve the knowledge of food handlers involved in producing Shir Berenj.</span></span></span> Shir-Berenj, pudding, Microbial contamination, safety, 83 88 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-456-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mahsa Marashi marashi2020@gmail.com 100319475328460012017 0000000207042524 No Department of Food and Drug Control, School of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Abdolazim Behfar azimbehfar@gmail.com 100319475328460012018 000000027145091X No Food and drug Laboratory Research Center (FDLRC), Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA), Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Ahvaz, Iran. Mohammad Hashemi HashemiMD@mums.ac.ir 100319475328460012019 0000000199986727 No Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Mehdi Safdarian msafdaryan@yahoo.com 100319475328460012020 0000000197352632 No Nanotechnology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Seyyed Mohammad Ali Noori sma.noori@gmail.com 100319475328460012021 000000022578242X Yes 1. Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. 2. Department of Food and Drug Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.