MICROBIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION AND PERILOUS EFFECTS OF FOOD SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM FOOD VENDORS NEAR ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONAL AREAS OF DEHRADUN CITY

Abstract

Food supplies from the vendors near the academic institutional areas over the home made food serves as one of the significant and major source of daily nutritional substitute for the most of the population. This population majorly includes students, staffs and faculties as a result of hectic schedules. This eventually leads to the outbreak of much food-borne illness due to consumption of such contaminated non-homemade food items. The current study illustrates qualitative, quantitative and pathogenic impact of of foods consumed on the daily bases by the customers. The food items like Momos, spring rolls, bun tikki, sandwiches, patties, samosa, Thukpa, chowmein, pastry and bread pakoda in the most commonly consumed food items of vendor shops near academic institutions in areas of Prem nagar, Nanda ki chowki, Mazhon, Suddhowala, Manduwala, Navgaon, Jhajhra, Dhoolkot mafi, Singhniwala and Selaqui of Dehradun city were examined respectively, according to their maximum sale. The various parameters used for examination of test samples were Total Coliform Count, presence of Yeast and Mould and pathogens such as E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella gastroenteritis, and Staphylococcus aureus like pathogenic organisms were found to be considerably hazardous. Further antibiotic sensitivity test showed, E.coli was found to be highly sensitive to Chloramphenicol and Streptomycin, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was found to be highly sensitive to Streptomycin and Rifampicin. Salmonella gastroenteritis, was found to be highly sensitive to Chloramphenicol and Amipicillin. S. aureus was found to be sensitive to all the antibiotics tested to Tetracycline, Rifampicin and Streptomycin. The current study highlights the presence of highest number of total bacterial count, coliform count and E.coli pathogen in food samples of Suddhowala, however Mazhon, Prem nagar and Manduwala also showed total presence of coliform and E.coli pathogen in their food samples whereas Yeast & Molds were found to be present in sandwiches and pastry in areas of Suddhowala and Singhniwala respectively however the presence of pathogens E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella gastroenteritis, and Staphylococcus aureus were reported in samples of chowmein, samosa, bread pakoda and spring roll respectively found in various available food vendors in Dhoolkot mafi, Navgaon, Selaqui and Nanda ki chowki. Therefore, this data suggest that awareness and training programs for food vendor and consumers is required to be developed by government sector and consider the preventive measures to ensure quality and safe food for the consumers.