ABSTRACT

Mites are small live organism that may result in a large number of allergenic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma that may cause individuals' physical, social and mental health, adversely affects quality of life. Mites that can be found everywhere where people live are found in various foodstuffs. The purpose of this review is to examine the types of mites and possible illness result from mites can be found in stored foods especially cheese in terms of public health assessment. Finding mite in the stored foods except for some local cheeses is not desirable because of it’s health risks. However, especially in cheese which is maturing in the open always to be the case of mite enfestation. In particular, this risk is much higher in some enterprises where have not taken measures enough in terms of food safety. Besides the lack of standarts related to cheese, fighting against mite in quality assurance systems have generally not been taken into consideration. Whereas mites in cheese consumed by individuals at any age, there is always a possibility of the potential cause of the allergic reactions seen in the consumer. Prevention of possible infestations in cheese, potential presence of storage mite and cheese mite in various stored foods and local cheese of Turkey should be investigated more comprehensive and protective measures should be developed in order to protect public health against mites.

Keywords: Cheese mite, storage mite, public health, food hygiene