Abstract
The study was carried out to determine the aerobic plate counts (APC), Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella contamination levels in cooked (n=24) and raw (n=24) beef, pork and mutton samples, surface contact plates (n=48) and water samples (n= 40) from street vendors. A total of 8 street vendors who were willing to participate in the study were randomly selected. After biochemical tests, no significant differences were found in the microbial counts of meat sold by street vendors in Alice and King Williams town. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the mean scores of raw beef, mutton and pork where APC (4.8, 3.7 and 2.8 Log CFU/g), Staphylococcus aureus (3.3, 3.7 and 2.8 Log CFU/g) and E. coli (1.0, 0.6 and 0.3 Log CFU/g) respectively. Salmonella tested negative in all the samples tested in the study. The results in the study were associated with cross-contamination during processing and storage. However, the levels of contamination in cooked meat were lower when compared to the standards set by Commission Regulation for determining the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat foods. Overall, poor hygiene of the street vendor, utensils, and holding area were major sources of contamination. It was therefore concluded that there were no differences in the microbial counts of meat sold in the informal markets of Nkonkobe and Buffalo City Municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Improved sanitation facilities, hygiene tools, and training will promote the production of safer food by the street vendors.
Highlights
Foodborne illnesses represent a worldwide concern to public health [1]
A similar trend was observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli counts from the meat sold by street vendors (Figure 1)
A lot still needs to be done to improve the quality of meat sold by street vendors as it is a source of food for thousands of consumers
Summary
About 33% of the population in developing countries is affected by foodborne sicknesses every year [2] This high rate of illnesses recorded may be due to a large number of consumers who are utilizing the informal sector as a source of their food for consumption [3] Foods sourced from the informal markets are easy to access, cheaper and convenient to consumers on an everyday basis [4]. This is informal markets are located in congested areas, where there are large numbers of prospective customers [3,4,5].
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