Abstract
The aim of the present work is to investigate the microbiological quality and safety of three main dishes served during Malay wedding banquets. The two selected Malay wedding banquets were each prepared by commercial catering services and ‘rewang’ activity (a group of voluntary cooks from the local community) in Selangor. Three types of the dish (chicken, vegetable and cooked rice) were sampled from both banquets and analysed for Total Plate Count (TPC), Total Coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. The dish samples were taken at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 hrs after serving. For catering, the TPC for chicken, vegetable and cooked rice at 0 hr were 6.39, 6.21 and 7.13 log CFU/g respectively. None of the samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp. or Listeria spp. The temperature of foods during the serving times averaged between 30 to 50°C which was conducive for bacterial proliferation.
Highlights
Food safety is the ultimate goal in global public health of which foodborne diseases are a major threat (Velusamy et al, 2010)
In Malaysia, reported cases of food poisoning are increasing annually due to the suitable temperature and condition for the growth of most bacteria (Abdul-Mutalib et al, 2015)
One of the sources of food poisoning that has been reported was during wedding banquets
Summary
Food safety is the ultimate goal in global public health of which foodborne diseases are a major threat (Velusamy et al, 2010). The primary cause for foodborne diseases, is very crucial because it significantly impacts on the economic and trade of any country including Malaysia. One of the sources of food poisoning that has been reported was during wedding banquets. A salmonellosis outbreak causing three deaths in northern Malaysia after having a meal at a wedding banquet was reported in 2013 (Ramli, 2013). In Malaysia, wedding banquets are prepared either by commercial catering services or rewang (voluntary food preparation by the local community at which the wedding takes place). Both categories have different methods of food preparation. Certain safety concerns in terms of hygienic practices might arise during rewang preparation
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