Abstract
Food-borne pathogens are one of the leading causes of illness and death particularly in developing countries. This study was aimed at analyzing the hygiene indicator microorganisms and pathogens of minced meat and contact surface materials in butcher shops in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Additionally, a checklist was applied to evaluate the hygiene condition of the establishments, and a questionnaire/checklist was used to assess food safety knowledge of the food handlers. This study has indicated that the mean microbial counts (total aerobic mesophilic, staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, aerobic spores and yeasts/molds) of the minced meat and contact surface materials in butcher shops ranged between 2.35 and 6.50 log·cfu/g and between 1.80 and 6.30 log·cfu/cm2, respectively. The mean microbial counts of minced meat samples taken in the morning and afternoon showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05). The prevalence of E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus in minced meat and contact surface samples was exhibited as 43.75 and 29.17%, 6.25 and 4.17%, and 37.50 and 37.50% in that order. The study has indicated that minced meat samples and contact surface materials had higher microbial load with poor personal and work area sanitation. Low knowledge of food handlers in the butcher shops and broken cold chain have also been found as major contributing factors for the contamination of beef.
Highlights
Meat is the major source of protein and valuable qualities of vitamins for most people in many parts of the world and is essential for the growth, repair, and maintenance of body cells and necessary for our everyday activities
Observation of Butcher Shops. e survey results showed that 14/16 (87.5%) of the meat handlers were males and out of which 12/14 (85%) of them were found only educated to elementary level (Table 1)
Gurmu and Gebretinsae [10] have reported that only 58.4% (7/12) of the meat handlers in Mekelle, Ethiopia, had taken trainings related to personal hygiene and food handling
Summary
Meat is the major source of protein and valuable qualities of vitamins for most people in many parts of the world and is essential for the growth, repair, and maintenance of body cells and necessary for our everyday activities. Recent data from either developing or developed countries indicated that at least 10% of the population may experience food-borne diseases [1]. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States reported 76,000 cases of food-borne illness, the majority being of bacterial origin [3]. Haeghebaert et al [4] have indicated that out of 559 cases, 64% of food-borne diseases reported in France were due to salmonellosis. In Ethiopia, like other developing countries, it is di cult to evaluate the burden of food-borne pathogens because of the limited scope of studies and lack of coordinated epidemiological surveillance systems [5]. Underreporting of cases and the presence of other diseases are considered to be of high priority and may have overshadowed the problem of food-borne pathogens [6]
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