Rachid Amaiach; Sanae Lairini; Rabia Bouslamti; Abdelhakim El Ouali Lalami
Abstract
Background: Food safety is a global concern due to the rise in foodborne diseases, with contamination of food contact surfaces being a significant factor. This study aimed to assess the hygienic conditions and bacteriological contamination levels on food contact surfaces in collective catering in Central ...
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Background: Food safety is a global concern due to the rise in foodborne diseases, with contamination of food contact surfaces being a significant factor. This study aimed to assess the hygienic conditions and bacteriological contamination levels on food contact surfaces in collective catering in Central Morocco.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted across six restaurants. A total of 186 swab samples were taken from 17 types of food contact surfaces, including cutting boards, serving tables, knives, sinks, plates, and other utensils. The samples were taken according to ISO 18593:2018 and analyzed using selected culture media for aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMC), Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas spp, as well as the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. The surfaces were classified based on compliance with hygiene standards.Results: Sixty-seven samples (36%) exhibited more than 2.70 log10CFU/cm², indicating non-compliance with hygiene standards. Raw meat cutting boards, sinks, and salad preparation containers were identified as the most contaminated food contact surfaces, with non-compliance rates of 83.3%, 58.3%, and 54.2%, respectively. In contrast, glasses, plates, and baking worktops were the least contaminated, with compliance rates of 77.8%, 72.8%, and 66.7%, respectively. The isolated bacteria were Coagulasenegative staphylococci (28.5%), Escherichia coli (18,8%), S. aureus (7.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (4.8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.6%), E. faecalis (1.6%), Proteus mirabilis (1%), and Salmonella spp. (0.5%). No Listeria spp. contamination was detected. The mean levels of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, S. aureus, and Enterobacteriaceae ranged from 1.59 log10CFU/ cm² to 3.93 log10CFU/cm², 0 log10CFU/cm² to 1.49 log10CFU/cm², and between 1.55 and 4.34 log10CFU/cm², respectively.Conclusion: This initial assessment of collective restaurants in Fez provides baseline data on environmentally hazardous microbes and will help food safety managers better implement effective control measures top revent contamination and safeguard public health.
Mohammad Ali Baghapour; Seyed Mohammad Mazloomi; Kourosh Azizi; Razieh Sefidkar
Volume 3, Issue 4 , October 2015, , Pages 128-132
Abstract
Background: The consumption of healthy food is considered as an essential need to devoid the physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The importance of this issue is more conspicuous in places such as hospitals where people with somehow compromised immune systems are under treatment. Therefore, this ...
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Background: The consumption of healthy food is considered as an essential need to devoid the physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The importance of this issue is more conspicuous in places such as hospitals where people with somehow compromised immune systems are under treatment. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of food contact surfaces in a kitchen in one of the hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In the present study, samples were taken from 48 food contact surfaces according to ISO 18593:2004(E) and placed into the bags containing diluting solution; they were then transferred to the laboratory for microbial analysis in the cold chain. The microbial analysis was carried out according to ISO 4833-1:2013 and BS ISO 4832:2006 for enumeration of total bacterial count and coliform. Results: Based on the results presented here, 39.6% and 85.7% of the samples showed acceptable contamination with regard to the enumeration of total bacterial and coliform count. Besides, 18.2% and 72.7 % of work surfaces groups (cutting board, table, and hand) showed acceptable contamination with regard to the enumeration of total bacterial count and coliform in comparison to the standards. Furthermore, 45.9% and 89.2% of other surfaces showed acceptable total bacterial and coliform count, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that safe management of the kitchen, education of the staff and also improvement of the equipment used are necessary.
