Good practices and microbiological quality of food contact surfaces in public school kitchens

ABSTRACT A study of six child care centers was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of three food contact surfaces (one food serving surface and two food preparation surfaces) and one non-food contact surface (diaper changing surface) to determine the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitization procedures within the facilities. Aerobic plate counts (APCs) and Escherichia coli/coliform counts of 50-cm2 areas on all surfaces were determined using standard microbiological swabbing methods. Samples were taken three times a day (preopening, lunchtime, and following final cleanup) twice per month for 8 months in each child care center (n = 288 sampling times). Mean log APCs over the survey period were 1.32, 1.71, 1.34, 1.96, 1.50, and 1.81 log CFU/50 cm2 for the six centers. Mean log coliform counts were 0.15, 0.40, 0.33, 1.41, 0.28, and 1.12 CFU/50 cm2 for the same centers. Coliforms were detected in 283 of 1,149 (24.7%) samples, with counts ranging from 1 to 2,000 CFU/50 cm2, while E. coli was detected in 18 of 1,149 (1.6%) samples, with counts ranging from 1 to 35 CFU/50 cm2. The findings of this study demonstrated that the extent of bacterial contamination was dependent on the center, time of day, and the area sampled. While no direct correlation between contamination and illness can be made, given the high risk of food-borne illness associated with children, microbial contamination of food contact or non-food contact surfaces is an aspect of food safety that requires more attention. Emphasis on training and the development of modified standard sanitation operating procedures for child care centers are needed to reduce potential hazards.

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Hygiene status of food contact surfaces in public school canteens in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia

Vojnosanitetski pregled ◽

10.2298/vsp200521050p ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 50-50

Author(s):

Milka Popovic ◽

Milan Baltic ◽

Vera Gusman ◽

Radivoje Andjelkovic ◽

Radmila Velicki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public School ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Hygiene Practice ◽

Limit Values ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Novi Sad ◽

Good Hygiene ◽

Coagulase Positive Staphylococcus

Background/Aim. The aim of this study conducted between 2008 and 2017 was to examinethe hygiene status of food contact surfaces and the application of good hygiene practice by food handlers in school canteens. Methods. A total of 10.366 swabs were taken from food contact surfaces including food handler's hands from public school canteens in Novi Sad, Serbia, over ten year period, covering voluntary good hygiene practice and obligatory HACCP implementation periods. Results. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between aerobic colony counts (ACCs) on surfaces were found. A general positive trend regarding the reduction of microbial contamination of food contact surfaces was observed. The percentage of surfaces swabs with ACCs above 2.48 log CFU/cm2 significantly decreased (R2= 0.453) during the study period, the percentage of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus in the swabs also decreased, but not significantly (R2=0.264), and average annual Enterobacteriaceae counts above the established limit values on surfaces significantly decreased (R2=0.442) over the years. A significantly higher (P<0.05) percentage of workers? hands harbored ACCs, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, and Enterobacteriaceae above the established limits than from equipment or work surfaces. Conclusion. The results obtained showed proper implementation of good hygiene practice concerning food contact surfaces, but implementation of good personal hygiene practices needs enhanced supervision.

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MICROBIAL ASSESSMENT OF READY-TO-EAT FOOD AND FOOD CONTACT SURFACES IN SELECTED RESTAURANTS IN OKADA, SOUTH -SOUTH NIGERIA

Bacterial Empire ◽

10.36547/be.2019.2.3.58-63 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 58

Author(s):

Obhioze Augustine Akpoka

Keyword(s):

Microbiological Quality ◽

Total Coliform ◽

Bacillus Species ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Food Handlers ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Microbiological Methods ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Cooked Food

Good food hygiene ensures that the preparation and preservation of foods are safe for human consumption. It ensures that food is prevented from microbial contamination at the levels of production to consumption. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial content of ready-to-eat cooked food, ready-to-use serving plates and hands of food handlers in six selected restaurants in Okada, Edo State, Nigeria. The samples were aseptically collected from the restaurants and taken to the microbiology laboratory of Igbinedion University, Okada for analysis. The microbial content of the samples was identified by standard microbiological methods. The microorganisms isolated were Enterobacter species, Streptococcus species, Micrococcus species, Bacillus species, Staphylococcus aureus and Saccharomyces species. The total aerobic viable counts, total coliform counts and total Staphylococcus counts in the ready-to-eat cooked food from the six restaurants were 3.67 ± 0.33 × 102 cfu/g - 2.71 ± 0.05 × 104 cfu/g; 3.33 ± 0.33 × 102 cfu/g - 2.39 ± 0.04 × 104 cfu/g and 0.00 ± 0.00 cfu/g - 3.70 ± 0.21 × 103 cfu/g respectively. The concentration of microbes on the food contact surfaces from ready-to-use serving plates were 0.00 ± 0.00 cfu/cm2 - 14.67 ± 0.33 cfu/cm2 and 0.00 ± 0.00 cfu/cm2 - 22.67 ± 0.33 cfu/cm2 in the hands of the food handlers. Therefore, foods provided to consumers at these restaurants are not of acceptable microbiological quality.

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Food Contact Surfaces’ Hidden Secrets and Food Handlers’ State of Readiness

Asian Journal of Quality of Life ◽

10.21834/ajqol.v4i16.192 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (16) ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Mazni Saad ◽

Mohd Hanafi Azman Ong ◽

Noor Suzana Osman ◽

Norhidayah Abdullah

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Publishing House ◽

Food Handler ◽

Food Hygiene ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Cooking Practices ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Safe Food

A guarantee for clean and safe food could be achieved when the standards of food hygiene at each preparation process and cooking practices are monitored and measured accordingly. This research examines the effectiveness of a self-regulatory practice in non-commercial residential establishments. The level of hygiene of cleaned food surface contacts was analysed through swab analysis. After a 24 hours incubation, the RIDA® count plates identified light blue colonies as total coliforms, demonstrating the existence of contamination across the majority of the selected food contact surfaces. This research, therefore, strongly encourage the application of a simple scientific tool to ensure accuracy and efficiency in the measurement of hygiene and sanitisation as it could affect the quality of life of the consumers. Keywords: consumer quality of life; food hygiene; food surface contact; food handler; the on-site premise eISSN 2398-4279 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v4i16.192

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Microbiological quality Assessment of hospital food in a public hospital in Fez (Morocco)

JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY ◽

10.24297/jbt.v4i1.1629 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 286-296

Author(s):

L. Zbadi ◽

A. El Ouali Lalami ◽

A. Baroudi ◽

Z. Marsou ◽

K. Fikri Benbrahim

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Meat Products ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Warning Signal ◽

Food Samples ◽

Fecal Coliforms ◽

Hygienic Quality ◽

Quality Of Food ◽

Contact Surfaces

The food safety has become a major issue in hospitals, since patients are especially vulnerable to foodborne illness considered as nosocomial infection.Aims: To assess health hazards in food at a hospital in Fez city (Morocco).Material and Results: Hygienic quality of food samples (n = 81: meals (40%), plants and vegetables (35%); meat / meat products (17%)) and contact surfaces (n = 80: local (32,5;%), equipment (50%) and staffâ€™s hands (17,5%)) was evaluated during 2011, and involved germs have been researched using standard methods. Results interpreted according to the Moroccan and French standards showed that the percentage of foodâ€™s non-compliance was 12%, with 32% for plants / vegetables and 7% for meat / meat products.The criminalization of fecal coliform was the important (91%) compared with Staphylococcus aureus (9%). Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes, anaerobic sulphito-reducers, yeasts and molds were not implicated.Contact surfaces analysis showed that 40% of equipment, 38% of local and 29 % of the staffâ€™s hands were not clean. The causative organisms were fecal coliforms (60%) and S. aureus (40 %).Conclusion: Contact surfaces may affect the hygienic quality of food served in the hospital. That could make the warning signal in hospitals for the establishment of a global quality policy to ensure food safety and to prevent healthcare associated infections.

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Appraisal of Microbiological Quality of Food with Respect to Drinking Water in Punjab

Indian Journal Of Applied Research ◽

10.15373/2249555x/june2014/199 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Pandove G Pandove G ◽

◽

Sahota S Sahota S

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Quality Of Food

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Impacts of Vending Practices on the Microbiological Quality of Bread in the Ojoo Area of Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria

Current Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.2174/1573401313666171016162832 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39

Author(s):

Oluwadara Oluwaseun Alegbeleye ◽

Wasiu Akinloye Oyebisi Afolabi ◽

Beatrice Oluwatoyin Opeolu ◽

Amin Mousavi Khaneghah

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Bacillus Species ◽

Potential Hazard ◽

Safety Regulations ◽

Bacillus Flexus ◽

Microbiological Methods ◽

Key Factor ◽

Quality Of Food

Background: Bacterial counts in ready-to-eat foods are a key factor in assessing the microbiological quality and safety of food. Periodic assessment of the microbiological quality of food is necessary to develop a robust database and help to ensure food safety. Methods: The bacterial contamination of a total of 336 bread samples collected from two bakeries and 10 vendors in Ojoo Area of Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria (December 2014 -June 2015) was evaluated. The microbiological quality of the bread loaves was investigated using standard microbiological methods (morphological, phenotypic and molecular characterization). Results: The results showed that the number of contaminated samples among the vended bread samples was higher than the bakery bread samples and can be summarized as Bacillus megaterium (4.30%), Staphylococcus arlettae (0.005%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (2.78%), Citrobacter freundii (2.40%), Bacillus flexus (1.64%), Bacillus species (49.59%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.12%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (0.92%), Pseudomonas species (0.045%), Escherichia coli (30.44%) Klebsiella sp. (0.040%) and Aeromonas hydrophila (3.72%). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the bread samples which become contaminated after transport and handling can be considered a potential hazard to human health in the area. More stringent adherence to food safety regulations should be encouraged and enforced by the appropriate authorities. The findings of this study may be adopted to improve the hygienic conditions of bread distribution chain in the area as well as in other regions of the World.

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Genetic Listeria monocytogenes Types in the Pork Processing Plant Environment: From Occasional Introduction to Plausible Persistence in Harborage Sites

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10060717 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 717

Author(s):

Niels Demaître ◽

Geertrui Rasschaert ◽

Lieven De Zutter ◽

Annemie Geeraerd ◽

Koen De Reu

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Genetic Characterization ◽

Processing Plant ◽

Pfge Analysis ◽

Food Contact ◽

Plant Environment ◽

Food Contact Surfaces ◽

Contact Surfaces ◽

Cleaning And Disinfection

The purpose of this study was to investigate the L. monocytogenes occurrence and genetic diversity in three Belgian pork cutting plants. We specifically aim to identify harborage sites and niche locations where this pathogen might occur. A total of 868 samples were taken from a large diversity of food and non-food contact surfaces after cleaning and disinfection (C&D) and during processing. A total of 13% (110/868) of environmental samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes. When looking in more detail, zone 3 non-food contact surfaces were contaminated more often (26%; 72/278) at typical harborage sites, such as floors, drains, and cleaning materials. Food contact surfaces (zone 1) were less frequently contaminated (6%; 25/436), also after C&D. PFGE analysis exhibited low genetic heterogeneity, revealing 11 assigned clonal complexes (CC), four of which (CC8, CC9, CC31, and CC121) were predominant and widespread. Our data suggest (i) the occasional introduction and repeated contamination and/or (ii) the establishment of some persistent meat-adapted clones in all cutting plants. Further, we highlight the importance of well-designed extensive sampling programs combined with genetic characterization to help these facilities take corrective actions to prevent transfer of this pathogen from the environment to the meat.

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