Standard Plate Count Research Articles

Assessment of Physical and Microbiological Characteristics of Quail Meat During Storage

Analysis of physical and microbiological quality of quail meat samples was carried out during frozen storage (-18±2oC) of 90 days period. Slaughtering of six weeks old broiler quails was done hygienically. Quail meat samples were packed in low density polyethylene pouches taking best possible care to avoid contamination and stored at -18 ± 2°C for 90 days. These stored samples were evaluated for physical properties and microbiological quality after thawing at 4 ± 1oC for 12 h at an interval of 15, 30, 60 and 90 days. It was observed that drip loss increased, while the extract release volume (ERV) decreased with progression of the storage period. Similarly standard plate count, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and psychrophilic count decreased with advancement of frozen storage period. While all of the meat samples were found to be negative for Salmonella spp. It is concluded from the study that quail meat can be safely stored in frozen state for up to 3 months without any deterioration.

Isolation and Molecular Identification of Staphylococcus Species in Cow’s Milk Distributed in Khartoum State

The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the bacteria load and the level of Staphylococcus Species and Staphylococcus aureus contamination in raw cow´s milk distributed in Khartoum state. One hundred and eighty samples were taken from Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North, 60 samples of raw milk from healthy apparently cows in farms, 60 samples of raw milk vended by donkeys, 60 samples of raw milk vended by cars. Total Viable Bacterial count was done using standard plate count. The samples were detected for the presence of Staphylococcus Species using conventional methods, cultured in Baird-Parker and Mannitol agar, Gram Stain, biochemical tests were done. The TVBC showed that the highest bacterial load was detected in the raw milk vended by Donkey (6.90±.03 log10 cfu/ml) vended by cars (6.78±0.12 log10 cfu/ml) then the lowest bacterial load detected in the milk collected from farm (6.63±0.07 log10 cfu/ml). Out of 180 samples of raw milk studied, 130 showed contamination by Staphylococcus species corresponding to 72.2% of the samples being contaminated and out of 180 samples of raw cow´s milk 80 was contaminated with staphylococcus aureus corresponding to 44.4% of the samples.The isolated Staphylococcus species was confirmed further by using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting the partial sequence of 16s rRNA gene. Sequencing identified Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominies and Staphylococcus simulans. The results showed a high level of contamination by Staphylococcus Spp. and staphylococcus aureus in raw cow´s milk that distributed in Khartoum state.

The battle against biofilm infections: juglone loaded nanoparticles as an anticandidal agent

In this study, juglone nanoparticles were prepared by single emulsion solvent evaporation method and their effect against Candida albicans biofilm was investigated in comparison with the free juglone and Fluconazole by performing XTT, crystal violet, standard plate count, confocal microscopy and membrane depolarization analyses. Juglone nanoparticles and free juglone were found to inhibit biofilm formation and pre-established biofilms (98-100%) at all doses tested, whereas Fluconazole did not cause a significant inhibition, even at the highest dose applied, especially against pre-established biofilms. Membrane depolarization analysis showed that free juglone and juglone loaded nanoparticles were effective on C. albicans membrane structure and have fluorescence quenching effect on DiSC3(5). It is extremely important that the antibiofilm activity of the juglone nanoparticles is similar to that of the juglone used at the same concentration, since similar effect is provided by using less active substance due to controlled release. Accordingly, it can easily be said that juglone loaded nanoparticles are much more effective in the formation and elimination of C. albicans biofilm than the free juglone and Fluconazole.

Bacterial load of the surface of some selected Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

An Automated Teller Machine (ATM), also known as Automated Banking Machine (ABM) or cash machine and several other names, is a computerized telecommunication device that provides access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a cashier or other intermediaries. The Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) has been widely used due to its convenience but also serves as a source of bacterial contamination. The aim of this work was to determine the bacterial load of surfaces of selected ATMs in Kano metropolis. Swab samples were collected from four (4) selected areas and ten (10) different study sites. The samples were collected using swabbing technique and standard plate count was employed for the enumeration of bacterial counts. The mean bacterial counts ranged between the lowest count of 1.20 x 102cfu/cm2 and the highest count of 1.78 x 102cfu/cm2 and the mean count of individual machine ranged from 1.70 x 101 cfu/cm2 upto 6.00 x 101cfu/cm2. All the ATMs were found to be contaminated. It could thus be concluded that the ATMs studied present a very great risk factor for cross contamination. The general public should therefore be enlightened on the possible health hazards associated with such items like ATMs and thus advised for strict personal hygiene and regular washing of hands before and after contact with ATMs so as to reduce the possible transfer of bacterial diseases and/or infections.
 Keywords: Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Bacteria, Contamination, Kano metropolis.

Impact of ultrasound processing on some milk-borne microorganisms and the components of camel milk

Inactivation of pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium in camel milk was investigated using ultrasound processing (900 W, 20 kHz, 100% power level). In addition, the effect of ultrasound treatment on raw camel milk components was studied to detect changes in fatty acid profile, lipid peroxides, protein fractions, and volatile compounds. Bacterial strains (106 CFU/ml) were added to pasteurized camel milk samples (70 ml) and transferred into a sterile aluminum container (30 mm x 120 mm, 100-ml total capacity) and then subjected to continuous ultrasound processing for 15 min in an ice water bath using a 13-mm diameter probe. The standard plate count (SPC) agar method and the in vivo imaging system (IVIS) were used to evaluate the viability of bioluminescence-transformed bacteria (E. coli O157: H7 and S. Typhimurium). The continuous ultrasound processing of camel milk resulted in significant (P<0.05) reductions in S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157: H7. Relative to unsonicated raw camel milk, the cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and trans-10, cis-12 CLA contents were not affected (P>0.05) by the ultrasound processing. The TBAR values, a marker of lipid peroxidation, and milk protein fractions were also similar (P>0.05) between the sonicated and unsonicated raw camel milk. A total of 24 volatile compounds (VC) were identified including 8 aldehydes, 3 ketones, 5 acids, 5 esters, 2 aromatic hydrocarbonate, and 1 sulfo compound. Of these 24 VC, eleven VC increased (P<0.05) and seven decreased (P<0.05) after sonication. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that ultrasound processing of camel milk was efficient in inactivating subsets of milk-borne pathogens without detrimental effects on camel milk fatty acids, lipid peroxides, and protein fractions. However, there were some changes in milk VC which may affect the sensory quality of milk.

Evaluation of real-time PCR as an alternative for potency testing of Brucella abortus vaccines

The aim of the research was to evaluate real-time PCR (qPCR) as an alternate method for quantitative detection of Brucella abortus strain 544 (S544) in the spleen of mice for potency testing of live B. abortus strain 19 (S19) vaccine. IS711 and eryC gene-based qPCR were optimized for calculating copy number. The copy number was further correlated with live Brucella count in the spleen by standard plate count (SPC) method. The mice were immunized with S19 and challenged with S544 on 30th Day post-immunization. The spleen of mice was collected at 15th, 21st, and 30th days post challenge (DPC) for estimation of S19 and S544 load via SPC as well as qPCR. The noteworthy difference was observed between immunized and unimmunized group by both methods at all time points. The maximum correlation between SPC and qPCR method was observed at 15th DPC in both immunized and unimmunized group. Repeated experiments at 15th DPC gave the parallel significant difference between immunized and unimmunized group by both methods. Thus novel, risk-free qPCR method can be used for the indirect culture-free potency evaluation of S19 vaccine in order to preclude the cultivation of zoonotic Brucella organisms from spleen samples.

Confounding Role of Salmonella Serotype Dublin Testing Results of Boneless and Ground Beef Purchased for the National School Lunch Program, October 2013 to July 2017

The Agricultural Marketing Service procures boneless and ground beef for federal nutrition assistance programs. It tests procured beef for concentrations of standard plate counts (SPCs), coliforms, and Escherichia coli and for the presence of Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Any lot exceeding predefined critical limits (100,000 CFU g-1 for SPCs, 1,000 CFU g-1 for coliforms, and 500 CFU g-1 for E. coli) or positive for Salmonella or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli is rejected for purchase. Between 1 October 2013 and 31 July 2017, 166,796 boneless beef lots (each approximately 900 kg) and 25,051 ground beef sublots (each approximately 4,500 kg) were produced. Salmonella was detected in 1,955 (1.17%) boneless beef lots and 219 (0.87%) ground beef sublots. Salmonella sample size increased from an individual 25-g sample to a co-enriched 325-g sample on 1 March 2015. Salmonella presence was associated with season (lowest in spring), larger sample size, and increased log SPC in boneless and ground beef. Increased log E. coli was associated with Salmonella presence in boneless beef, but not ground beef. Salmonella Dublin was the most common serotype in boneless beef (743 of 1,407, 52.8%) and ground beef (35 of 171, 20.5%). Salmonella Dublin was generally associated with lower indicator microorganism concentrations compared with other Salmonella serotypes as a group. Relative to other Salmonella, Salmonella Dublin was associated with season (more common in spring) and smaller sample size in boneless and ground beef. Decreased log SPCs and log coliforms were associated with Salmonella Dublin presence in boneless beef, but not in ground beef. Differential associations between Salmonella Dublin and other serotypes with indicator microorganisms were strong enough to cause confounding and suggest that the presence of Salmonella Dublin needs to be accounted for when evaluating indicator performance to assess Salmonella risk in boneless and ground beef.

Study on Physico-Chemical and Microbial Quality of Raw Milk Collected From Different Places of Assi Region in Varanasi City, Varanasi

The present study was conducted to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics including Adulteration and Microbiological quality of cow raw milk collected from four different places of ASSI region in Varanasi. Samples were analysed to know the chemical composition, the results showed that the statistically average percentage of Moisture (87.46), Fat (3.87), Protein (3.15), Lactose (4.42), Ash (.712), pH (6.43) and acidity (0.147). The keeping quality of milk was evaluated by Methylene Blue Reduction Test (MBRT). This phenomenon testified that milk sample 1 is fair quality and remained sample were found good and excellent. The microbiological conclusion confirmed the presence (less or more) of microbial load in all the raw milk samples. The highest level of microbial quality in standard plate count (SPC) was 19.1×106 cfu/ml. in sample 1 and in logarithm value is 7.28 cfu/ml at the same time, the highest coliform bacteria 2.3×102 in logarithm value is 2.36 was found in the sample 2. The adulterations in raw milk were checked by the standard procedure. In cow’s raw milk the different mixed adulterant were found in two samples contaminated with detergent and pulverized soap. Besides different hazardous chemical adulterant, raw milk from sample 1 was detected with presence of hydrogen peroxide and sample 2 was contaminated formalin whereas urea was present in sample 2 and 4. Milk adulteration is a global concern and social problem. Increased demand, growth in competition in dairy industry and financial gain makes some producers to adulterate the milk thereby decreasing milk quality.

Functional, sensory, physico-chemical and microbial changes in oats and milk protein concentrate based malted milk food during storage

Malted milk food is one of very attractive options owing to their health benefits and economic considerations. There exists a definite commercial potential for a newer malted milk food comprising healthful ingredients such as oats and milk protein concentrate. The oats and milk protein concentrate based malted milk were evaluated for its shelf life at 37±2 °C after packing in laminates of metallized PET-Polyester/Polyfilm pouches at 15-days interval. Powder density and solubility index increased, while flowability decreased for control and experimental samples at the end of 180 days. The score of the sensory characteristics for the product decreased throughout the storage period. Moisture content, water activity, free fatty acids, total HMF content, and TBA value (OD at 532nm) of control and experimental sample increased throughout the storage period. The standard plate count of both the samples decreased with increase in storage period.

Characterization of antibiogram fingerprints in Listeriamonocytogenesrecovered from irrigation water and agricultural soil samples.

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a foodborne pathogen and the etiologic agent of listeriosis, which can be disseminated within the agricultural environment particularly soil and irrigation water, contaminate farm produce and cause high mortality and morbidity among vulnerable individuals. This study assessed the incidence and antibiogram of L. monocytogenes recovered from irrigation water and agricultural soil samples collected from Chris Hani and Amathole District Municipalities (DMs) in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The distribution of presumptive L. monocytogenes in irrigation water and agricultural soil samples was done using the standard plate count method, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify the isolates. The confirmed isolates were screened for 9 key virulence markers using PCR after which they were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing against 18 antibiotics used for the alleviation of listeriosis using the disk diffusion method. Relevant putative antibiotic resistance genes in the resistant variants were screened for using PCR. The distribution of L. monocytogenes in irrigation water samples was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) and ranged from log10 1.00 CFU/100ml to log10 3.75 CFU/100 ml. In agricultural soil samples, the distribution ranged significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from log10 2.10 CFU/g to log10 3.51 CFU/g. Of the 117 presumptive L. monocytogenes recovered from irrigation water samples and 183 presumptive L. monocytogenes isolated from agricultural soil samples, 8 (6.8%) and 12 (6.6%) isolates were confirmed respectively. Nine virulence genes including inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, actA, hlyA, plcA, plcB, and iap were detected in all the isolates. The proportion of the isolates exhibiting phenotypic resistance against the test antimicrobials followed the order: tetracycline (90%), doxycycline (85%), cefotaxime (80%), penicillin (80%), chloramphenicol (70%), linezolid (65%), erythromycin (60%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (55%). The isolates exhibited multiple antibiotic resistance against 3 or more antibiotics and the MAR indices of all the multidrug isolates were ≥0.2. The isolates harboured antibiotic resistance genes including tetA, tetB, tetC, sulI, sulII, aadA, aac(3)-IIa and ESBLs including blaTEM, blaCTX-M group 9, blaVEB as well as AmpC. None of the isolates harboured the carbapenemases. We conclude that irrigation water and agricultural soil collected from Chris Hani and Amathole District Municipalities (DMs) in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa are reservoirs and potential transmission routes of multidrug-resistant L. monocytogenes to the food web and consequently threat to public health.

EFFECT OF CEDAR (CEDRUS LIBANI A. RICH) TAR ON BACTERIAL GROWTH

The main objective of this study is to research the inhibitory effect of Cedar tar produced from cedarwoods collected from Gume village of Mut, Mersin, Turkey, against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus haemolyticus using scanning electron microscopy. The inhibitory effect of cedar tar at varying concentrations (0.1-100%) was examined on bacterial growth (E. coli and S. haemolyticus) by using Kirby-Bauer agar diffusion method. Cedar tar showed a strong inhibitory activity in the range of 15-30 mm against all tested microorganisms. The MICs value of Cedar tar was 5% for E. coli and S. haemolyticus. The bacterial growth in liquid culture including 5% Cedar tar was observed by optical density and standard plate count method for 24 h. The optical density and viable cell counts in culture including Cedar tar (5%) reduced after 2 h of incubation period for all test strains. The bacterial colonies belonging to tested strains were not encountered on agar plates at the end of 10 h incubation. The cell images were not also determined in SEM micrographs of cultures with Cedar tar. Our data clearly indicated that cedar tar obtained by traditional thermal method had a strong inhibitory activity on bacterial cells.

The Comparation Study of Pasteurized "Fruits Up" Products Using TPC (Total Plate Count) Method

Fruits Up is one of the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) which is engaged in developing puree mango beverage. To satisfy the consumer, Fruits Up decided not to use chemical preservatives as a solution to be a healthy drink with longer shelf life time product. The purpose of this research is to conduct pasteurization process on Fruits Up product as solution of increasing product shelf life time without the use of chemical preservatives. Comparison of existing products will be analyzed using microbiological quantitative analysis with Total Plate Count (TPC) method and presented in the form of Standard Plate Count (SPC). The sampling method was using a Completely Randomized Factorial Design with difference room temperature and storage time (1 day, 3 day and 5 day). According to the result, the least amount of bacteriology is present in the pasteurized Fruits Up product with H1 storage of refrigerator temperature (10°C) and the highest amount is found on Fruits Up products that have not been pasteurized with H5 storage of room temperature (26°C). Based on the results, a significant decrease in TPC occurs during the pasteurization process so that the pasteurization process is highly recommended to be performed permanently

A fully integrated bacterial pathogen detection system based on count-on-a-cartridge platform for rapid, ultrasensitive, highly accurate and culture-free assay

Rapid, sensitive and accurate point-of-care-testing (POCT) of bacterial load from a variety of samples can help prevent human infections caused by pathogenic bacteria and mitigate their spreading. However, there is an unmet demand for a POCT device that can detect extremely low concentrations of bacteria in raw samples. Herein, we introduce the ‘count-on-a-cartridge’ (COC) platform for quantitation of the food-borne pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The system comprised of magnetic concentrator, sensing cartridge and fluorescent image reader with a built-in counting algorithm facilitated fluorescent microscopic bacterial enumeration in user-convenient manner with high sensitivity and accuracy within a couple of hours. The analytical performance of this assay is comparable to that of a standard plate count. The COC assay shows a sensitivity of 92.9% and specificity of 100% performed according to global microbiological criteria for S. aureus which is acceptable below 100 CFU/g in the food matrix. This culture-independent, rapid, ultrasensitive and highly accurate COC assay has great potential for places where prompt bacteria surveillance is in high demand.

Storage stability of turkey meat sausage incorporated with carrot and radish under refrigerated storage

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial efficacy of raw carrot paste (RCP) and raw radish paste (RRP)each at 10 % level on aerobic packaged turkey meat sausages under refrigeration (4±1°C) for a period of 25 days. The stored sausages were evaluated for physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics at an interval of 5 days. The pH of the turkey meat sausages increased significantly (P<0.05) in both control and treated sausages under aerobic packaging. The results revealed that there was significant (P<0.05) increase in the physico-chemical parameters viz., Tyrosine value and TBARS value, as storage progressed from 0-25 days. However, the values were well below the threshold level of spoilage at the end of storage period. Standard plate counts, increased significantly (P<0.05) as storage period progressed from 0-25 days. Psychrophilic counts were not detected in the control and treated sausages at 0th day, afterwards the psychrophilic counts increased significantly (P<0.05) as storage period progressed from 5-25 days. Yeast and mold counts were not detected in any of the products throughout the entire storage period. A reduction in the sensory scores of turkey meat sausages were found as the advancement of storage. Based upon the results, it can be concluded that addition of raw carrot paste (RCP) and raw radish paste (RRP) each at 10 % level would not only extends the shelf life by protecting the product longer against oxidative rancidity but also had higher acceptability than control.

Impact of Raw Materials and Processing Techniques on The Microbiological Quality of Egyptian Domiati Cheese

Domiati cheese is the most popular brand of cheese ripened in brine in the Middle East in terms of consumed quantities. This study was performed to investigate the impact of the microbiological quality of the used raw materials, the applied traditional processing techniques and ripening period on the quality and safety of the produced cheese. Three hundred random composite samples were collected from three factories at Fayoum Governorate, Egypt. Collected samples represent twenty-five each of: raw milk, table salt, calf rennet, microbial rennet, water, environmental air, whey, fresh cheese, ripened cheese &amp; swabs from: worker hands; cheese molds and utensils; tanks. All samples were examined microbiologically for Standard Plate Count (SPC), coliforms count, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) count, total yeast &amp; mould count, presence of E. coli, Salmonellae and Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). The mean value of SPC, coliforms, S. aureus and total yeast &amp; mould counts ranged from (79×102 CFU/m3 for air to 13×108 CFU/g for fresh cheese), (7×102 MPN/ cm2 for tank swabs to 80×106 MPN/ml for raw milk), (9×102 CFU/g for salt to 69×106 CFU/g for fresh cheese) and (2×102 CFU/cm2 for hand swabs to 60×104 CFU/g for fresh cheese), respectively. Whereas, E. coli, Salmonella and L. monocytogenes failed to be detected in all examined samples. There were significant differences in all determined microbiological parameters (p ≤0.05) between fresh and ripened cheese which may be attributed to different adverse conditions such as water activity, pH, salt content and temperature carried out to improve the quality of the product.

Sensory, physico-chemical, microbial and textural changes in whey protein concentrate based extruded snack food during storage

Extruded snacks are gaining recognition as well as appreciation these days due to their ready-to-eat nature, delicious taste and appealing look. Combination of lysine rich whey protein concentrate with lysine deficient cereal protein has synergistic effect that imparts a high nutritional value to the mixed protein in the product. The milk solids based extruded snack food and control sample were stored at room temperature (37±2 °C) after packaging in MET PET material. The whey protein concentrate based extruded snack food samples and control sample were analyzed for changes in sensory characteristics, physico-chemical properties and textural properties as well as for microbiological quality at 15 days interval. Sensory scores, fracturability for experimental sample and control decreased while moisture, water activity and hardness increased during entire storage period. The Standard plate count decreased while coliform count and yeast and mold count were found absent till 180 days of storage.

Bacteria Associated With the American Cockroach Periplanata Americana (Dictyoptera: Blatellidae) In Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Cockroaches have become the most common peridomestic insect pest of public health and epidemiological importance. The presence raises safety concerns, especially as carriers of food-borne pathogens and food-spoilage organisms. Using a swab bacteriological technique, investigations were carried out on the wings, legs and mouth parts of cockroaches trapped from sewers, kitchens and bathrooms from household in Amassoma, Bayelsa State. The density of microorganisms by standard plate count was used to analyze the samples. Microbial load gotten were 62 x 103 _ 76 x 103 cfu/ml-1 for wings, 45 x 103 ¬–53 x 103 cfu/ml-1for legs and 36 x 103¬- 41 x103 cfu/ml-1 for mouthparts respectively regarding heterotrophic bacterial count and 59 x 103 - 62 x 103 cfu/ml-1, 41 x 103 ¬- 53 x 103 cfu/ml-1 and 36 x 103 ¬- 43 x 103 cfu/ml-1 for fecal coliform count respectively. Five bacteria genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae, known as Opportunistic pathogens and responsible for food spoilage were identified such as Escherichia coli (33.3%) most frequently isolated, Citrobacter specie (16.7%), Enterobacter specie (16.7%) while Pseudomonas specie (22.2%) and Klebseilla specie (11.1%) were the least isolated. Highest bacteria count was recorded from the wings followed by the legs and the mouth. Cockroaches can readily move from contaminated zones such as faeces to food preparation areas spreading food spoilage and disease-causing organisms onto the food. Proper care in disposal of food remnants and overall cleanliness at the households prevent cockroaches from foraging in the kitchen, bedroom and toilet.

Computer Vision Approach for the Determination of Microbial Concentration and Growth Kinetics Using a Low Cost Sensor System.

The measurement of microbial contamination is of primary importance in different fields, from environmental monitoring to food safety and clinical analysis. Today, almost all microbiology laboratories make microbial concentration measurements using the standard Plate Count Technique (PCT), a manual method that must be performed by trained personnel. Since manual PCT analysis can result in eye fatigue and errors, in particular when hundreds of samples are processed every day, automatic colony counters have been built and are commercially available. While quick and reliable, these instruments are generally expensive, thus, portable colony counters based on smartphones have been developed and are of low cost but also not accurate as the commercial benchtop instruments. In this paper, a novel computer vision sensor system is presented that can measure the microbial concentration of a sample under test and also estimate the microbial growth kinetics by monitoring the colonies grown on a Petri dish at regular time intervals. The proposed method has been in-house validated by performing PCT analysis in parallel under the same conditions and using these results as a reference. All the measurements have been carried out in a laboratory using benchtop instruments, however, such a system can also be realized as an embedded sensor system to be deployed for microbial analysis outside a laboratory environment.

Bacterial Assessment of Ready to Eat Sweet (Burfi) Sold in Different Sweet Houses in Narayangadh, Chitwan: A Pilot Study

As a sweet product, burfi is highly esteemed by Nepalese consumer and kept in high priority from the time immemorial. However, the milk and milk products borne outbreaks account for 2 to 6 % of bacterial foodborne outbreaks in several countries. Hence, with an objective to determine the bacterial load of the commercial sweet (burfi) sold in Bharatpur metropolitan city 1, Narayangadh, Chitwan, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Ten sample of ready to eat sweet (Burfi) along with the packaging material were collected purposively from different sweet shops of Bharatpur metropolitan on January 2019. The preparation of samples was done as per Food Microbiology Protocols (2001) and the aerobic colony count (ACC) was determined by spread plate technique using plate count agar. It was found that the aerobic plate count of burfi sample ranges from 9.1×109 to 1.5×1010 CFU/g with an average of 1.2×1010 CFU/g, which is higher than the permissible Standard Plate Count according to Indian Standards Institution (ISI) specification. In conclusion, the high bacterial count in Burfi samples from different sweet shops indicates insufficient hygienic condition duration handling and unhygienic conditions of storage. This may give rise to public health hazard.

Microbial quality of poultry meat in an ISO 22000:2005 certified poultry processing plant of Kathmandu valley

Poultry meat can be contaminated by different types of microorganisms during processing in processing plant. The microbiological quality of chicken carcasses and along with processing steps and environmental condition was analyzed in this study in an ISO 22000:2005 certified poultry processing plant of Kathmandu. Standard plate count method was applied for the enumeration and detection of total mesophilic bacteria, total coliform, total faecal coliform, Staphylococcus load along with selected pathogens like Salmonella spp., S. aureus, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Listeria spp. in chicken meat at four processing step (evisceration, final washing, frozen and market). It was observed that the level of microbial load decreased with subsequent processing phases in poultry processing plant where high level of bacteria were reduced during final washing and frozen phase. After processing poultry meat in an ISO 22000:2005 certified meat processing plant, total aerobic mesophilic count, total coliform count, total faecal coliform count, total Staphylococcus count were decreased from 6.92 to 4.45 log CFU/g, 3.49 to 2.19 log CFU/g, 2.41 to nil log CFU/g, and 3..43 to 1.99 log CFU/g respectively. Pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella spp., C. perfringens, and Listeria spp. were absent in chicken meat at the fourth processing step. Prevalence of E. coli was reduced from 37.4% to 10.2%, whereas S. aureus was decreased from 18.57% to 17.1%. It was concluded that the final washing and freezing steps were the Critical Control Point (CCP) to control microbial hazards in poultry processing phase.