Abstract
The objective of this work was to assess the health risks associated with the consumption of minced meat sandwiches, sold in the informal sector in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. A survey on the application of hygiene rules was conducted in parallel with a bacteriological analysis of cooked minced meat. The enterobacteria isolated from this food were identified and antibiotic resistance testing was performed. The investigation revealed shortcomings in respect of basic hygiene rules, and 56% of the sandwiches analyzed were of bacteriological quality unsatisfactory. The non-compliance of the sandwiches was caused mainly by the presence total aerobic mesophilic flora (71.43%) and total coliforms (57.14%). In contrast, not all samples were contaminated with anaerobes sulfito-reducting bacteria and Salmonella. Five species of Enterobacteriaceae were identified: Escherichia coli (35.30%), Proteus vulgaris (11.76%), Klebsiella oxytoca (11.76%), Citrobacter spp. (23.53%) and Enterobacter cloacae (17.65%). Of these, 42.65% were resistant to 75% of antibiotics tested: Cefalexin (17.24%), Ceftriaxone (48.28%) and Norfloxacin (34.48%). In contrast, all strains were sensitive to Nitrofurantoin. Minced meat sandwiches sold in informal sector in Brazzaville can be source of enteropathogens, susceptible to expose consumers to foods poisonings.
Highlights
The minced meat sandwich is a ready-to-eat food consisting of cooked minced meat sandwiched in bread
3.1 Investigation All sales people are of Senegalese based in Brazzaville, whose age is between 30 and 45
The preparation is similar in the different points sale visited (Figure.1), and the sale is made in parallel with that of the other merchandise of the point of sale
Summary
The minced meat sandwich is a ready-to-eat food consisting of cooked minced meat sandwiched in bread. Bacterial activities have a great influence on the organoleptic and hygienic quality of food products (Guiraud, 2003). They can cause changes in taste, color, smell and produce metabolites harmful to the health of consumers. In the case of meat, the harmful effects of the bacterial flora are favored by the chopping operation it undergoes (Phillips et al, 2001); the minced meat is so a fragile food which must be strictly monitored because of the danger due to these alterations and the presence of potentially pathogenic agents
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