MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY ANALYSIS OF MEAT PIES SOLD BY STREET HAWKERS: A CASE STUDY OF MAINLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS, NIGERIA

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1 Journal of Medical and Applied Biosciences 2011 Cenresin Publications MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY ANALYSIS OF MEAT PIES SOLD BY STREET HAWKERS: A CASE STUDY OF MAINLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS, NIGERIA Falola, A.O * ; Olatidoye, O.P; Balogun, I.O and Opeifa, A.O Department of Food Technology Yaba College of Technology, Yaba address: arinlinks@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods like meat pie sold by street vendors has become a global health problem. Street vended foods like breakfast items sold in almost all the cities throughout Nigeria are consumed by huge population. The present study was undertaken to investigate the microbiological quality of street foods like meat pie sold in Lagos mainland Area. The samples were aseptically collected from four different locations, analyzed by standard procedures to determine the colony forming units per gram of meat pie samples. For aerobic colony counts samples were classified as satisfactory, acceptable and unsatisfactory categories according to PHLS (Public Health Laboratory Services, UK) guidelines. For total coliform counts, BIS guidelines were used. In aerobic colony counts, all the samples of the four areas that were studied, showed heavy contamination of bacteria ranging from CFU/g to CFU/g. All the 7 zones studied showed the presence of coliform. The results of the study indicate that, all the local made meat pie samples studied in Lagos Mainland were heavily contaminated, indicating the non-enforcement of inspection act and lack of maintenance of standard relation to hygienic quality of meat pie. It is suggested that proper hygienic and sanitary conditions has to maintain both personally and institutionally. A continuous monitoring in each activity from pre preparation to cleaning is required in street food centers to avoid any food born pathogenic outbreaks in future. Keywords: Street foods, street vendors, contamination, colony forming unit, meat pie, microorganisms. INTRODUCTION Street foods are ready to eat foods and beverages prepared and sold by vendors especially in streets and similar public places [1]. The preparation and sale of street foods is an ageold activity. It is almost universal in developing countries, and in the industrial world. This activity has reached new dimensions as a result of rapid urbanization. The street foods are being served quickly, also tasty and it is available at reasonable rates. It attracts all the age groups, especially the younger generations. The safety and shelf life of the street foods depends upon the interaction of chemicals, physical and microbial factors. From the health point of view, the microbiological quality of foods becomes important. Street foods displayed on open yards can easily be contaminated by dust, exhaust smoke, insects, hands of intending buyers and rains. The street food industry plays an important role in meeting the food requirements of urban dwellers in many cities and towns of developing countries. The industry feeds millions of people 1 Volume 2, December 2011

2 Microbiological Quality Analysis of Meat Pies Sold by Street Hawkers: A Case Study of Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos, Nigeria Falola, A.O; Olatidoye, O.P; Balogun, I.O and Opeifa, A.O Daily with a wide variety of foods that are relatively cheap and easily accessible. However, food borne illnesses of microbial origin are a major health problem associated with street foods [2]. The traditional processing methods that are used in preparation, inappropriate holding temperatures and poor personal hygiene of food handlers are some of the main causes of contamination of street-vended food. Consumers who depend on such food are more interested in its convenience and usually pay little attention to its safety, quality, and hygiene [3,4,5]. Food borne illness associated with the consumption of street vended foods has been reported in several places in India and elsewhere [6,7, 8,9]. Street foods are frequently associated with diarrhoea diseases which occur due to improper use of additives, the presence of pathogenic bacteria, environmental contaminants and disregard of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and good hygiene practices (GHPs). Vendors are often poorly educated, unlicensed, untrained in food hygiene, and they work under crude unsanitary conditions with little or no knowledge about the causes of food borne disease [10]. Most of the foods are not well protected from flies, which may carry food borne pathogens. Safe food storage temperatures are rarely applied to street foods. Potential health risks are associated with contamination of food by E.coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus aureus or Proteus sp during preparation, post cooking and other handling stages [9, 11]. Even though people are aware that food borne diseases could occur due to consumption of street food, the majority disregards these health hazards. Therefore, the conditions under which street food preparation and vending occurs raise many concerns related to consumers health. In view of the high demand and over crowding of food shops in many streets within Lagos, a rapid review of the ready-to-eat food vended on the streets was undertaken. The fast food industry is made up of business firms that are engaged in the transformation of raw and/or semi-processed food to ready to eat food for human consumption outside the home. Despite its huge global commercial success, the fast food is often criticized for having some shortcomings among which are that some to obesity of the consumers, reduction of consumption of local cuisines, survival on low wage and low benefit employment mode, promoting exploitive labour practice [12]. Some products available in the eateries are sausage Scotch egg, doughnut, neat pie etc. Meat pie is a savory pie that cover contains filling meat and other savory ingredients. It usually made up of beef. It is a baked pastry usually made of flour dough that covers or contain s filling of meat and vegetables. It is the most popular of all pastries, infact it is the official state food of the U.S state of Louisiana [12]. Generally baked foods are perishable foods with a short shelf life and they need special care in handling. However, meat pies have the tendency to get spoil quickly. This is because of its fillings, which are mainly meat, potatoes and little quantity of vegetables. Due to the high nutrient available in the fillings of the meat pie, this makes microorganisms to thrive easily in the product [13]. Meat pie are proffered taken hot and in an attempt maintain it hot, high electric bulb voltage or ban-marie are normally used, the possibility of contaminating the meat pie with spores of thermophile bacteria such as clostridium perfingen is not rare. This is because the bacterium is aerobic and grows best when not in competition with other 2

3 Journal of Medical and Applied Biosciences Volume 2, December 2011 organisms. A minimum temperature of 55 0 C will encourage the germination and multiplication of the bacterium [14]. There have been several cases of fast adulteration, meat were filled with potatoes instead of meat and small quantity of meat or unsightly ingredients. This is because; it is not possible to see the fillings inside the meat pie dough prior to purchasing. Also, there have been reported cases of spoilt meat pie filling at point of purchase. Therefore there is need to evaluate the microbial quality of meat pies consumed by the ever increasing population of Lagos especially when they are purchased from local points of sale. This type of surveillance work provides an important baseline measurement for the microbiological quality of foods available to consumer within a locality and threats to human health that are associated with consumption of these foods MATERIALS AND METHODS Collection of Samples: The whole of Lagos mainland local government area was divided into 4 zones. 28 samples were collected from the street hawkers randomly without concern to their flavor from each of the 4 zones. Moreover, branded meat pie and meat pie parlors were not included in this study. While collecting the samples, the investigator also considered the serving practice of the hawkers, like, use of apron, covering of hair, handling of money and usage of gloves while serving. The samples were collected in the sterile sampling polythene bags and were immediately transported to Microbiology laboratory, Food Technology Department, Yaba College of Technology, Nigeria. PREPARATION OF SAMPLES Aerobic colony counts: Aerobic colony counts (ACC) were performed using spread plate method [15,16]. Nutrient agar plates (CDH Pvt. Ltd, India) were inoculated with 100µl of 10-7 times diluted meat pie samples and incubated at 37 o C. After 24 h of incubation, the total numbers of colonies were counted with the help of digital colony counter (LABFITTM, Ambala, India). PHLS (Public Health Laboratory Services, UK) guidelines were used to classify the samples in satisfactory, acceptable and unsatisfactory categories [15]. Total coliform counts: Total coliform counts were also performed using the spread plate method. Eosin Methylene Blue agar (Titan Biotech Ltd., India) was used as a selective medium for the growth of the coliform bacteria. Plates were inoculated with 100µl of 10-4 times diluted meat pie sample and incubated at 37 o C. After 48 h, the total numbers of colonies were counted with the help of digital colony counter (LABFITTM, Ambala, India). The values for coliform count were compared with the standards as per the BIS guidelines [17]. Statistical analysis: Results were analyzed by calculating the Mean value and Standard deviation using Microsoft Excel, RESULT AND DISCUSSION It was observed that hygienic conditions in terms of usage of apron, handling of meat pie and covering of hair was not appropriately followed by any of the hawkers considered in the present investigation. The presence of these organisms can be linked to a number of factors 3

4 Microbiological Quality Analysis of Meat Pies Sold by Street Hawkers: A Case Study of Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos, Nigeria Falola, A.O; Olatidoye, O.P; Balogun, I.O and Opeifa, A.O such as improper handling and processing, use of contaminated water during washing, cross contamination from other raw materials or the use of dirty processing utensils like knives and trays [18, 19]. The fact that they are generally unaware of food regulations in Nigeria and have no training in food related matters, need to be given urgent consideration. The aerobic colony counts in the 28 samples obtained from 4 zones of Lagos mainland local government are presented in Table 1. The samples of all the areas show heavy contamination of bacteria ranging from CFU/g to CFU/g. The mean results indicate that the highest contamination was found in Abule-Ijesha with meat pie samples ( CFU/g) followed by Jibowu ( CFU/g), Sabo ( CFU/g), Yaba ( CFU/g). A comparison of the aerobic colony counts for the samples with the standard guidelines of PHLS is presented in Table 2. Hygienic quality of these meat pie samples based on total coliform counts with their mean value is given in Table 3. It is evident from the table that 100% samples from Abule-Ijesha, 71% samples from Sabo, 57% samples from Yaba and Jibowu, were heavily contaminated with coliform. Table 1: Aerobic colony count (CFU/g) for different meat pie samples Name of Area Aerobic colony count cfu/g Mean Standard deviation Sabo Yaba Abule-Ijesha Jibowu

5 Journal of Medical and Applied Biosciences Volume 2, December 2011 Coliform count in these samples exceeds the recommendations of BIS (> 100 coliform/g). All the samples from the studied area showed the presence of coliform. The results suggest high negligence during the preparation and/or storage of the products, leading to poor sanitary conditions. This was also observed during sample collection, the handling of meat pie with bare hands, non-usage of aprons, absence of hair covering and handling of money during serving/selling might also contribute to poor hygienic conditions. Also, there is heavy vehicular traffic on the road and presence of refuse dumps along the roadsides might increase the air borne particles which ultimately increase the contamination. The report by Chelea and Jideani[13] testified to this that meat pie have tendency to spoil quickly, this is because of its fillings which are mainly meat and vegetables which makes microorganisms to thrive easily in the product. Table 2: Microbiological Quality (CFU/g) of meat pie samples on the basis of Total Coliform Count Microbial quality(cfu/g) on Aerobic colony count based Name of Area PHLS guidelines Satisfactory Acceptable unsatisfactory < Sabo Nil Nil 100% Yaba Nil Nil 100% Abule-Ijesha Nil Nil 100% Jibowu Nil Nil 100% Table 3: Microbiological Quality (CFU/g) of meat pie samples on the basis of Aerobic Colony Count Name of Area Mean Standard Microbiological quality (cfu/g) based Total coliform count cfu/g deviation on BIS guidelines Unsatisfactory 100cfu/g Sabo Out of 7samples, 5 show growth Yaba Out of 7 samples, 4 show % 5

6 Microbiological Quality Analysis of Meat Pies Sold by Street Hawkers: A Case Study of Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos, Nigeria Falola, A.O; Olatidoye, O.P; Balogun, I.O and Opeifa, A.O growth Abule-Ijesha All the samples show growth Jibowu Out of 7 samples,4 show growth % % % The increase in the coliform with time conforms to the facts that increase in microbial load (especially pathogenic organisms) increase the number of coliform. Whereas, the presence of coliform immediately after production is an indication of presence of faecal contamination which is from the water used for the preparation of the samples, human contamination by handlers. The presence of these microorganisms may be explained by the fact that human beings, that is, processors or vendors, carry these organisms on/in several parts of their bodies [20]. This can be introduced into the fresh flour/water during handling, processing or vending. Water and the environment may have played major role in contamination of the meat pie samples, especially during washing of the fruits. Eleanor [21] had earlier reported that the major outbreaks associated with baked food products were mostly caused by salmonella typhirium and Staphylococcus aureus. A recent report by [22] on gastrointestinal infections arising due to consumption of contaminated foods. I therefore support the view that there is an urgent requirement to implement food safety guidelines to ensure the safety and quality of meat pie. Above all, the results obtained from this study indicate that all the locally made meat pie samples studied are contaminated. This may be attributed to nonenforcement of inspection act and lack of maintenance of standard hygiene practices in relation to meat pie, thereby suggesting possible risk of infection involved in the consumption of such food. Though the guidelines for food hawkers are not available at the moment, there is a need to come-up with these guidelines to ensure the safety and quality of food. In addition, the government must have a better surveillance on the activities of sliced produce 6

7 Journal of Medical and Applied Biosciences Volume 2, December 2011 street vendors in order to minimize the risk of disease outbreak associated with consumption of contaminated food produce. CONCLUSION The result from the analysis of the samples revealed that the long exposure of the local meat pie sampled at the point of sale on the streets led to the increase in microbial count. Meat pie is best consumed immediately after production; this is to avoid the rapid proliferation of bacteria. The results testified to this fact; the longer the meat-pie stay on the shelf, the higher microbial load and the more hazardous/dangerous it is for human consumption. This may be attributed to non- enforcement of inspection act and lack of maintenance of standard hygiene practices in relation to meat pie, thereby suggesting possible risk of infection involved in the consumption of such food. Though there is no guideline for food hawkers published by standard organization of Nigeria, hence there is a need to come up with such guidelines to ensure the safety and quality of food. Lack of appreciation of basic safety issues by vendors contribute to increase of the microbial loads. These include use of crude stands and carts, unavailability of running water for mixing and washing, unhygienic surroundings with swarming flies and airborne dust. Based on our findings, it is concluded that proper facilities and training should be given to the food vendors. However, proper sanitary condition must be practiced by food vendors Critical control points should be detected and measures should be taken to reduce the contamination. Local authorities can then go through planning, guidelines to ensure the safety and quality of food. The Local Government and the ministry should consider establishment of adequate facilities and utility services as well as provision of necessary information, education and training programmes for vendors and consumers. Our findings show the need for more respect of Good Manufacturing practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) to reduce street foods contamination. REFERENCES [1]. FAO(1989). Food\and Nutrition Paper No. 46: Street Foods. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. [2]. WHO, Global strategy for food safety: Safer food for better health. World Health Organization, Geneva Switzerland ISBN [3]. Mensah P, Yeboah MD, Owusu DK, Ablordey A Street foods in Accra, Ghana: how safe are they? Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 80 (7): [4]. Muinde, O.K. and E. Kuria, Hygienic and sanitary practices of vendors of street foods in Nairobi, Kenya. Afr. J. Food Agric Nutr. Dev. 5: [5]. Barro N, Iboudo I, Traore AS, (2006). Hygienic status assessment of dishwater, utensils, hands and pieces of money in street food vending sites in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 5: [6]. FAO(1989). Food\and Nutrition Paper No. 46: Street Foods. Food andagriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. [7]. Estrada-Garcia T, Lopez-Sancedo C, Zamarrpa-Ayala B, Thomas, MR, Escobar GA (2004). Prevalence of Escherichia coli and Samonella sp. in street vended food of open 7

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