The Role of Fast Food in Transmitting Some Bacterial Hazards to Consumers

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 10 4 , 96.4x10 4 and 28.22x10 5 cfu/g for APC respectively, and they were 26.7x10 5 , 97.3x10 3 and 64.42x10 4 cfu/g in the examined samples of Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches collected form restaurants respectively. Based on the microbiological guidelines for readyto-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 11.9x10 5 , 15.61x10 4 and 22.68x10 4 cfu/g in the examined samples of street vended Kofta, beef burger and sausage sandwiches respectively, and they were respectively 63.3x10 4 , 34.03 x10 4 and 28.63 x 10 4 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 O 55 : H 7 , O 26 : H 2 , O 26 : H 11 and O 127 : H 4 .