Abstract
This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat cooked food and their contact surfaces in selected restaurants in the university town of Okada, Edo state, Nigeria. Microbial analysis was carried out on the samples obtained from six restaurants. The restaurants sampled were the ones with the highest patronage within the study area. The results obtained indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food did not meet the required quality standards, and therefore, posed potential risks of foodborne infections to consumers. Exposure assessment was used to evaluate the level of hygiene practices in the selected restaurants with results indicating poor hygiene practice. The organisms isolated from the ready- to-eat cooked foods in the restaurants and their prevalence were, Bacillus species (12.50%), Enterobacter species (50.00%), Streptococcus species (12.50%), Micrococcus species (12.50%) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.50%), from the food contact surfaces (Hands of ready-to-eat food servers) were, Enterobacter species (36.36%), Streptococcus (9.09%), Micrococcus (9.09%) Staphylococcus (45.46%) and ready-to-use serving plates (Streptococcus (33.33%) and Enterobacter sp. (50%). Haemolysis test was employed as a phenotypic marker of pathogenicity for Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp. The prevalence of the pathogenic strains isolated from the ready-to-eat food were Streptococcus sp. (9.09%) and Staphylococcus sp. (45.46%) and that of the one isolated from the serving plate was Streptococcus sp. (33.33%).
Highlights
Foodborne diseases include an array of illnesses triggered by ingestion of foods contaminated with microorganisms or chemicals (WHO, 2014)
Foodborne infections are caused by the ingestion of food containing pathogenic microorganisms which multiply within the gastrointestinal tract, producing widespread inflammation and have become a significant public health problem with major economic and social effects (Altekruse and Swerdlow, 1996)
The probability of exposure of consumers to pathogenic microbial species isolated from ready-to-eat food samples and food contact surfaces such as ready-to-use serving plates and hands of food handlers was calculated from the prevalence of pathogenic species present in these samples
Summary
Foodborne diseases include an array of illnesses triggered by ingestion of foods contaminated with microorganisms or chemicals (WHO, 2014). Foodborne infections are caused by the ingestion of food containing pathogenic microorganisms which multiply within the gastrointestinal tract, producing widespread inflammation and have become a significant public health problem with major economic and social effects (Altekruse and Swerdlow, 1996). They have an incubation periods usually from 6 to 24-hour longer after ingestion and the causative organism may be identified by laboratory examination of the vomits, faeces, or blood of the infected individual and the suspected food (Sudershan et al, 2014). This research was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of the foodborne pathogens recovered from ready-to-eat food ad their contact surfaces from restaurants within and around Okada, Edo state, Nigeria
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