# Nutritional Quality and Safety Characteristics of Imported Biscuits Markered in Basrah, Iraq
## 1 Introduction  
Dough free of biological yeast can be used to make little thin crispy cakes called \"biscuits\" [1], appreciated for their remarkable shelf life and good eating quality [2]. Biscuits are one of the most popular foods for all ages for their taste, flavor, and low cost [3]. Their long shelf-life helps easy distribution and export [4]. The principal ingredients of biscuits are sugar, fat, water, and flour; while other components include salt, milk, chemical aerating agents, and flouring agents [5]. Microbial pathogens can contaminate foods and cause foodborne diseases [6, 7]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in the United States have stated that either foodborne or waterborne pathogens are considered to be the primary causative factors in 76 million cases of illnesses each year in the United States alone [8]. The percentage of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and viruses was 5 million cases, 2 million cases, and 30 million cases, respectively [9]. A study conducted in Iraq reported the level of microbial (bacteria and fungi) contamination in five types of biscuits from local markets in Baghdad city. The highest number of bacteria was 21.6 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) cfu/g in Iranian biscuits while the lowest number was 14.3 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) cfu/g in a local biscuit sample. The highest number of fungi was 16 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) cfu/g and the lowest number was 5.3 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) cfu/g in the Iranian and the same local biscuit sample, respectively [10]. The health effects of microbial contamination may be noticed within daysor weeks, while the effects of chemical contamination may take a long time to manifest. Examples of chemical contaminants are heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, Hg, Mg, Mn, Cu, and Co [4]. Pb and Cd have no known biological functions and may exhibit toxicological problems even at low or trace concentrations [11; 12]. [PERSON] et al. [13] mentioned that the highest metal loads were found in biscuit and doughnut samples, hypothesizing the source of contamination firstly during the cultivation of the primary raw material, wheat, and secondly during the processing of the final products. Thermal processing is widely used in the preparation of food items. The most popular methods are cooking, baking, roasting, extrusion cooking, pasteurization, or sterilization [14]. Several reactions are ongoing during thermal treatments, such as the Maillard reaction, caramelization, and oxidation of lipids [4]. As a consequence, not only compounds with positive sensory impact arise from heating processes but also contaminants, such as acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfurral (HMF) [4]. Cereal products are among the main contributors to acrylamide exposure and therefore are included among the foodstuffs regulated by the European Commission [15]. Recently, acrylamide gained considerable attention due to its toxicity. Additionally, high levels of HMF have demonstrated cytotoxicity, eye inflammation, mucous membranes, and upper breathing tract [16]. In fact, studies in rats and mice have shown that HMF can probably be cancerous [17]. There is currently an increase in the consumption of biscuits as popular snacks, especially in developing countries. However, there is limited knowledge on the nutritional, physic-chemical, and microbiological characteristics of biscuits marketed in these countries, where a poor economy and harsh climatic conditions can make it difficult to comply with hygiene requirements during processing, marketing, and storage. It would be advisable, therefore, to have more data on biscuit quality and safety in developing countries. In Iraq, biscuit and cake imports have continued to increase every year since 2015. Total imports in these categories accounted for USD 333 million in 2015, USD 513 million in 2016, and USD 525 million in 2017, with the highest share of imports from Turkey [18].