ABSTRACT
The microbiological quality of ready to eat vended food at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike was evaluated. The objective of the study was to determine and characterize the microorganisms associated with ready to eat street vended food in the University. Food samples were collected from fixed and mobile vendors from the sampling location. The tested samples were Meat pie, Egg-roll, Doughnut, Buns, Puff Puff, Rice, Cake, Fufu, Garri, Chinchin, Fish-roll, Akara and Moi Moi. Sterile polythene bags were used to collect each category of samples. They were tested for the presence of microorganisms following conventional microbiological processes. Biochemical tests were done on the food samples. The result of the study confirmed that the food sample collected contain different species of microorganisms (Bacillus species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococci aureus, Salmonella species, Shigella species and Klebsilla species). Findings from this study further revealed that the bacteria which occurred most in the foods sampled was Escherichia coli (27.5 %) identified in Meat pie, Egg-roll,Doughnut, Buns Rice, Cake, Fufu, Garri, Akara, and Moimoi. Followed by Shigella) which occurred in; Meat pie, Egg-roll, Buns, Puffpuff, Rice, Cake, Fufu, Fish. Salmonella species, Klesbsilla species and Staphylococcus with (12.5 %) respectively. Also Bacillus species (15.0%) occurred in Meat pie, Doughnut, Rice, Cake, Fish roll and moi moi. All these enteric pathogens could be the potential cause for food-borne illnesses. Therefore, the study recommends Provision of health education to the street food vendors on personal hygiene, safe food handling practice and proper disposal of waste would improve food quality and thereby reduce the risk of contamination of street-sold food. Infrastructure development for access to potable water, public toilet, washing and waste disposal facilities also would reduce the health hazards to consumers.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Cover Page i
Title Page ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Table viii
Abstract ix
CHAPTER
ONE
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2
Aim and Objective of the Study 3
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Food Safety 4
2.2 Food Safety Measures 7
2.3 Consumer’s Food Safety
Knowledge 9
2.4 Street-Vended Foods 10
2.5 Preparation of street food 10
2.6.1
Consumers of Ready-To-Eat Street Foods 11
2.6.2 Factors
Influencing Consumption of Street-Vended Foods 12
2.7 Significance of Street-Vended
Foods in Developing Cities 13
2.7.1
Socio-Economic Benefits Street-Vended Foods 14
2.7.2 Nutritional
Benefits Street-Vended Foods 15
2.8 Microbial Safety of
Street-Vended Foods 15
2.9 Risks Associated with Street
Foods 18
2.9.1 Public
Health Risk 18
2.10.1 Factors that Promote the
Growth of Microorganisms 20
CHAPTER
THREE
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
3.1 Study area and Sample collection 21
3.2 Materials used and Sterilization
of materials 21
3.3 Media preparation 21
3.4 Microbiological Analysis 21
3.4.1 Isolation of bacteria 22
3.4.2 Isolation of fungi
(yeasts/moulds) 22
3.4.3 Purification (subculture) of
bacterial isolates 22
3.4.4 Purification of fungal
isolates 23
3.4.5 Characterization and
identification of bacterial isolates 23
3.4.5.1 Catalase Test 23
3.4.5.2 Motility tests 23
3.4.5.3 Oxidase test 24
3.4.5.4 Gram staining 24
3.4.5.5 Methyl red tests 24
3.4.5.6 Urease Test 25
CHAPTER
FOUR
RESULTS
4.1 Total Viable Counts of Bacteria
Isolates 26
4.2 Identification and
characterization of Bacteria 28
4.3 Distribution of Bacterial
Isolated 29
4.4 Percentage occurrence of
bacterial isolates 30
4.5 Discussion 31
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
•
Conclusions 37
•
Recommendation 37
References 39
List
of Tables
Table 4.1 Total Viable Counts of bacteria isolates from food
Vendors in IBB hostel in MOUAU 26
Table 4.2. Identification and Characterization of Bacterial
Isolates from food vendors in IBB hostel MOUAU 28
Table 4.3 Distribution of Bacterial Isolated from food
vendors in IBB hostel MOUAU 29
Table 4.4 Percentage occurrence of Bacterial Isolates from
the food vendors in IBB in MOUAU 30
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Street food is food obtained from a street side vendor,
often from a makeshift or portable stall (FAO, 2014). Street food feeds
millions of people daily with a wide variety of foods that are relatively cheap
and easily accessible (Tambekar et al.,
2011). Street food is intimately connected with take-out, junk food, snacks,
and fast food (Lues et al., 2010).
Street food is also regarded as tasty (Tambekar et al., 2011), distinguishable by its local flavor and can be
purchased on the sidewalk, without entry into a building (Lues et al., 2010). There is a
noticeable increase of food vendors in Nigeria (Webb and Morancie, 2015). This
is apparent in Abia State (Ikwuano L.G.A in particular), where they sell both
raw and cooked food items along the streets. This has been instigated by
rapidly growing and changing food demands alongside the need to diversify
and/or employ more income sources in the events of declining incomes (Webb and
Morancie, 2015). According to studies done in other Africa Countries on street
foods, their remarkable unlimited and unregulated growth has placed a severe
strain on city resources, such as water, sewage systems and interference with
the city plans through congestion and littering, adversely affecting daily life
(Carbas et al., 2013).
In many streets of developing countries, the sale and
consumption of ready to-eat foods and beverages are a common and normal
phenomenon of everyday life (Kok and Balkaran, 2014). Different types of food
items such as traditional meals, snacks, and beverages are usually prepared on
the street or at home. These are then sold by vendors or hawkers on street
pavements, at taxi stations, industrial areas, market places, stalls and other
public sites for immediate consumption or consumption at a later stage without
further processing or preparation (Samuel, 2012). Due to their unique taste,
variety and accessibility, most street foods are greatly appreciated by
consumers and are consumed daily by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide
(Manguiat and Fang, 2013).
Regardless of the intrinsic benefits of the sale and
consumption of street-vended foods, the safety of street foods can be affected
by a number of factors. These include the quality of the raw materials,
preparation conditions, handling and storage conditions as well as location of
the vending business, which might not meet
all food safety requirements (Aluko et
al., 2014). Street food vendors often operate unregulated, that is without
monitoring by any relevant authority (Bhattacharya and Reang, 2014). As a
result, street-vended foods can become contaminated, thus exposing people who
consume these foods to the potential risk of foodborne diseases, such as
salmonellosis, listeriosis, typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhoea etcetera
(Manguiat and Fang, 2013).
Undoubtedly, microbiological food safety hazards pose a huge
challenge to the safety of street food, since potentially harmful microorganism
have the ability to grow rapidly in street vended food and cause foodborne
diseases to consumers (Akinbode et al.,
2011). Several researchers have identified street-vended foods as potential
vectors of foodborne pathogens, such as: Escherichia
coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella species, Shigella sonnei, Proteus species, Listeria species and
Bacillus cereus (Odu and Imaku, 2013).
The major sources contributing to microbial contamination of such food are infrastructure,
preparation and storage, cooking, cleaning and serving utensils, quality of
water and personal hygiene of food handlers (Rane, 2011). Other sources of
contamination include place and surface of food preparation, flies and dust on
uncovered food items, lack of facilities for drainage of waste water and
garbage disposal, clean dish washing clothes, contaminated raw materials and water, unavailability and
shortage of potable water, time inadequate reheating of cooked food, and
improper and unsanitary food handling by vendors.
In Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, street
food has become an increasingly important component of the food trade system,
since student, some lecturers and staff of the University depend on them as
their source of nutrients. However, ready-to-eat foods, especially those sold
on the road side of the University campus, are of concern, because they can be
subjected to time/temperature abuses during processing and display besides poor
hygienic practices by vendors. Moreover, the hot climate and environmental
conditions in which these food vendors in University campus, such as unhygienic
site of location, provide favourable conditions for microbial growth (Kok and
Balkaran, 2014). Consequently, this could pose a serious threat to the health
of the people who consume ready-to-eat foods from these vendors.
According to Garode and Waghode (2012), some consumers of
street-vended foods are not fully aware of the hazards associated with these
foods; and (whether they are aware of it or not) the majority of consumers
disregard the possibility that ready-to-eat foods bought on the street/road
side can be contaminated. In Ikwuano, and especially in the University Campus,
street/road side food vending is one of the largest self-employment practices
in the informal sector. Thousands of people, including children and adults,
depend on these foods, without much cognizance to their safety, quality, and
hygiene. Therefore, assessing the hazards posed by these foods as well as
gaining valuable information on consumers’ knowledge regarding food safety,
would assist relevant authorities design and implement effective control
measures aimed at protecting consumers’ health. This study therefore was
initiated to assess the microbiological quality of ready- to- eat foods sold by
street venders (Using IBB Hostel as area of interest).
1.1 Aim and Objective of the Study
Aim
The aim of this research work is to investigate the
microorganism quality of ready to eat vended food at the University Campus
(using IBB Hostel as the study area)
1.2 specific
objectives:
•
To examine the microbial load of ready to eat street vended
food
•
To identify the microorganisms associated with ready to eat
street vended food
•
To characterize the microorganisms using biochemical test.
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