Presence of Bacillus cereus in Street Foods in Gaborone, Botswana

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERVAS Y. MURINDAMOMBE ◽  
ERNEST K. COLLISON ◽  
SISAI F. MPUCHANE ◽  
BERHANU A. GASHE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the microbiological safety and quality of street foods sold in Gaborone, Botswana. A total of 148 point-of-sale composite street food samples were bought and analyzed between June 2001 and May 2002. The analysis focused on the level of contamination of various street foods with Bacillus cereus. The B. cereus (vegetative and spores), total spore, and total viable counts were determined on all the samples. Also B. cereus isolates from 444 individual point-of-sale food samples were characterized with respect to their biochemical profiles and enterotoxigenic properties. The B. cereus contamination rate for point-of-sale foods was 65%. The B. cereus counts ranged from not detectable to levels as high as 9.1 log CFU/g. Despite the high rate of contamination of some samples, generally, most samples had B. cereus counts of less than 4 log CFU/g; hence, they were of acceptable microbiological quality. Bacillus diarrheal enterotoxin was detected from 52 isolates from individual portions of meals using the B. cereus enterotoxin reversed passive latex agglutination kit. Results of the assay revealed that 59.6% of the B. cereus isolates were enterotoxigenic. Most of the enterotoxigenic isolates were obtained from vegetable samples.

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. MOREIRA ◽  
T. B. LOURENÇÃO ◽  
J. P. A. N. PINTO ◽  
V. L. M. RALL

The aim of this work was to assess the microbiological quality of spices sold in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 233 samples were analyzed for mesophilic bacteria, thermotolerant coliforms, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. Data showed that 21 and 5.6% of these samples were not in agreement with the standards of Brazilian law, due to an excess of coliforms and to the presence of Salmonella, respectively. Black pepper and cumin exhibited the lowest microbiological quality, whereas bay leaf showed the highest quality. It was concluded that the seasonings possessed poor microbiological quality, and new alternatives should be taken in the primary production in order to improve this quality. Irradiation may also be a tool to assure the safety of these products.


1987 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.W. WARBLTRTON ◽  
P.I. PETERKIN ◽  
G.A. JARVIS ◽  
K.F. WEISS ◽  
G. RIEDEL

A study done in 1977–1978, assessed the bacteriological quality of five types of dry desserts including starch-, gelatin- and rennet- based products. One hundred and ninety-seven lots were randomly selected across Canada and analyzed for aerobic colony count, aerobic sporeformers, Bacillus cereus, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella. Micro-biological and practical consideration do not warrant the establishment of standards or guidelines for such products at this time.


1980 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 340-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. SINGH ◽  
SUKHBIR SINGH ◽  
V. K. BATISH ◽  
B. RANGANATHAN

Ten samples of baby foods comprising seven brands of infant milk foods and three brands of milk-cereal weaning foods were examined for incidence of different types of microorganisms. One brand of infant milk food with 91 × 102 organisms also exhibited the maximum number of staphylococci and some of these were coagulase positive. Some staphylococcal isolates showed thermostable deoxyribonuclease (DNase) activity and also produced enterotoxins A or B. One sample of weaning food showed high counts of Bacillus cereus. In one of the reconstituted baby food samples when held at ambient temp. (37.5 C), the Staphylococcus aureus and B. cereus counts increased 10-fold in 3 h.


2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. GARIN ◽  
A. AÏDARA ◽  
A. SPIEGEL ◽  
P. ARRIVE ◽  
A. BASTARAUD ◽  
...  

An international multicenter study of ready-to-eat foods, sandwiches, and ice creams or sorbets sold in the streets and their vendors was carried out to assess the microbiological quality of these foods and to identify characteristics of the vendors possibly associated with pathogens. Thirteen towns in Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania were involved in the study. A single protocol was used in all 13 centers: representative sampling was by random selection of vendors and a sample of foods bought from each of these vendors at a time and date selected at random. Microbiological analyses were carried out using standardized Association Française de Normalisation methods, and the use of a standardized questionnaire to collect data concerning the characteristics of the vendors. Fifteen surveys were carried out, with 3,003 food samples from 1,268 vendors. The proportion of unsatisfactory food samples was between 12.7 and 82.9% for ice creams and sorbets and between 11.3 and 92% for sandwiches. For ice creams and sorbets, the sale of a large number of units (>80 per day) increased the risk of unsatisfactory food by a factor of 2.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5 to 5.1), lack of training in food hygiene by 6.6 (95% CI: 1.1 to 50), and by a factor of 2.8 (95% CI: 1.4 to 5.4) for mobile vendors. These risk factors were not identified for sandwiches, this difference may be due to the presence of a cooking step in their preparation. These results show that the poor microbiological quality of these street foods constitutes a potential hazard to public health, that the extent of this hazard varies between the cities studied, and that vendors' health education in food safety is a crucial factor in the prevention of foodborne infections.


1995 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Powell ◽  
R. W. Attwell

SUMMARYThe relationship between visual inspection ratings given to ten food retail premises and the microbiological quality of food samples was examined. Viable counts of bacteria and of Staphylococcus aureus were determined for cooked meat samples from each of the premises. There was no correlation between potential risk of foodborne infection, as assessed by total inspection rating, and bacteriological counts in food (P < 0·05). Neither was there a consistent relationship between scores given to any component of the total rating and the bacteriological quality of food.The effectiveness of the current UK inspection scheme in assessing risk of foodborne infection is questioned. Inclusion of appropriately weighted criteria such as food temperature abuse is suggested to improve the scheme.


1968 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 393-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter H. Jopke ◽  
James R. Riley

Food samples were collected directly from serving lines in cafes and cafeterias in the Twin City metropolitan area. The samples were subjected to a battery of tests chosen to evaluate the microbiological quality of the foods. Bacterial and yeast counts and culture results are reported. Salmonellae, shigellae, and Clostridium perfringens were not found. Numbers of microorganisms found varied considerably with the type of food. The ranges found are probably indicative of values which could be expected in restaurant-cafeteria foods. The laboratory procedures used appeared to be satisfactory for a relatively small bacteriology laboratory and provided sufficient information with which to evaluate the microbiological quality of the food. Hopefully, the data will contribute to efforts being made to establish microbiological standards for restaurant-cafeteria foods.


1999 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 877-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. NICHOLS ◽  
C. L. LITTLE ◽  
V. MITHANI ◽  
J. de LOUVOIS

The microbiological quality of 4,162 samples of cooked rice from restaurants and take-away premises in the United Kingdom was examined, including ready-to-eat rice purchased at point-of-sale and rice that was stored precooked for reheating on demand. The majority of point-of-sale cooked rice samples (1,855 of 1,972; 94%) were of acceptable microbiological quality, but 15 (1%) samples were of unacceptable quality (Bacillus spp. and B. cereus, ≥105 CFU/g; Escherichia coli, ≥104 CFU/g), indicating a potential risk to health. The prevalence of Bacillus spp., B. cereus, and E. coli was significantly greater in precooked stored rice than in point-of-sale cooked rice (P &lt; 0.005 to 0.0005). Bacillus spp. (≥104 CFU/g), B. cereus (≥104 CFU/g), and E. coli (≥102 CFU/g) were present in 7%, 2%, and 9% of precooked stored samples, respectively, compared to 2%, 0.5%, and 1%, respectively in point-of-sale samples. Although final heating at the point of sale reduces the levels of microorganisms present in rice it will not inactivate the B. cereus emetic toxin if present. Rice from Indian premises was of poorer microbiological quality than that from Chinese and other premises. Although most point-of-sale cooked rice samples (94%) were of an acceptable microbiological quality, evidence from this study indicates that the microbiological quality of cooked rice sold from certain outlets in the UK is of concern.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaís Teresa Brandão Cavalheiro Ribeiro ◽  
Géssica Costa ◽  
Marisa da Costa

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of tofu sold in supermarkets in Porto Alegre/Brazil. Bacteria counts were performed for Bacillus cereus , mesophilic, coliforms and Staphylococcus coagulase positive and negative. The presence of Listeria sp. was also evaluated. Two different brands of tofu (A and B) were collected, one lot per month, for six months. Five samples from each lot were analyzed. All lots presented mesophilic aerobic counts above 4.3x105CFU g-1. Four of the six lots from brand A and all lots from brand B showed E. coli and/or Staphylococcus coagulase positive counts above the Brazilian law accepted limits. The Staphylococcus coagulase negative counts were higher than those of coagulase positive in all lots. In all lots where Staphylococcus coagulase positive counts were above the legal limit, there were counts of coagulase negative above 104CFU g-1. B. cereus and Listeria sp. were not found in either brand. The majority of lots of brand A and all lots of brand B were unsuitable for human consumption. Our results showed that there are problems in tofu manufacturing in both industries analyzed. There is a need of improvement on its microbial quality to avoid problems of food-borne illness, and finally the need of a better control by the Brazilian inspection services.


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