Abstract
Thirty samples of ready to eat Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches (10 from each) were collected from street vendors and another thirty samples of the same products (10 from each) were collected from different restaurants all were sourced from different areas in Assiut City and analyzed bacteriologically to assess the safety of these sandwiches. The results revealed that the mean values in the examined samples of street vended Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches were 42.3x 104, 96.4x104 and 28.22x105 cfu/g for APC respectively, and they were 26.7x105, 97.3x103 and 64.42x104 cfu/g in the examined samples of Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches collected form restaurants respectively. Based on the microbiological guidelines for ready-to-eat food by center for food safety, 80% and 50% of street vended and restaurant kofta sandwiches were satisfactory according to their APC, also the street vended and restaurant burger sandwiches had the same results. Meanwhile, 20% and 80% of street vended and restaurant sausage sandwiches were satisfactory according to their APC. Results of Enteroccocus count declared that the mean values were 11.9x105, 15.61x104 and 22.68x104 cfu/g in the examined samples of street vended Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches respectively, and they were respectively 63.3x104, 34.03 x104 and 28.63 x 104 in the examined samples of Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches collected from restaurants. Some strains of Enterococcus spp. were isolated with different percentages, and identified as Ent. columbae, Ent. Cecroum, Ent.mundtii, Ent.Hirea and Ent. Facium. Staph.aureus could be isolated with an incidence of 10%, 40% and 60% from the examined sample of Kofta, beef burger and sausage street vended sandwiches respectively, and it was isolated with and incidence of 10% from kofta sandwiches collected from restaurants, while could not be isolated from beef burger and sausage sandwiches collected from restaurants. Based on the microbiological guideline for ready-to-eat food by center for food safety, all examined Kofta sandwiches, street vended sausage sandwiches and 80% of street vended burger sandwiches fell in the category satisfactory based on their limits of total staph.aureus count (< 20cfu/g). Also E.coli could be isolated with different percentages, the isolated serotypes were O55: H7, O26: H2, O26: H11 and O127: H4.
Highlights
Fast food or ready to eat food are the food which are easy to make and can be eaten in an easy manner or can be taken away
It is evident from the results recorded in Table (1) that the mean values in the examined samples of street vended Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches were 42.3 x 104, 96.4 x and 28.22 x cfu/g for APC respectively, and they were 26.7 x 105, 97.3x103 and 64.42x104 cfu/g in the examined samples of Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches collected from restaurants respectively
No significant differences in aerobic plate counts were found between the street vended and restaurants examined samples (P>0.05) the street vended samples of both beef burger and sausage sandwiches still had higher total viable bacterial count than those obtained from restaurants, while street vended samples of kofta sandwiches had lower viable bacterial count than those obtained from restaurants
Summary
Fast food or ready to eat food are the food which are easy to make and can be eaten in an easy manner or can be taken away. There are many reasons why people eat away from home, these include absence from home whiles travelling, studying, whiles at work or need for a change both in terms of food type and the location, as a result many people purchase food from the streets. Such foods can transmit a wide range of diseases in a condition termed food infection, where the food serves as a vehicle for the transfer of the pathogen to the consumer, (Murray, 2003). Food habits adopted by populations may mitigate or increase the hazards
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
