One serious threat to public health in both developed and developing countries is the
microbial contamination of food. This problem poses a great challenge and consequently
has economic implications. Causes of microbial contamination are diverse and these may
be natural, environmental, or technological. The microbiological quality of most ready-to-eat foods is of great significance to human health because they require minimal or no
processing when consumed. The aim of this research was to investigate the
microbiological quality of some ready-to-eat mixed vegetable salad foods, ingredients as
well as the wash water samples of an urban restaurant located in Accra, Ghana. A total
of thirty (30) samples categorized into mixed vegetable salads, foods and water obtained
from an urban restaurant in the national capital of Ghana, Accra. They were analyzed at
the microbiology laboratory and food microbiology laboratories of School of Allied
Health Sciences (UHAS) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Food
Research Institute (CSIR-FRI), Ghana, respectively. Standard microbiological methods
that are per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Methods and Nordic
Committee on Food Analysis Methods (NMKL) were used in determining the presence
and levels of bacteria and fungi. Data obtained were transformed from standard to
logarithmic forms and reported as mean+standard deviations. The aerobic plate count
samples ranged from 0- 4.73 log
10 CFU/g.
E-coli
counts also ranged between 0- 2.53
log
10 CFU, while
Bacillus cereus
counts were very low at 0-<10 log
10 CFU/g.
Clostridium perfringens
and
Staphylococcus aureus
counts were also very low ranging
from 0- 1.0 log
10 CFU/g.
Enterobacteriaceae counts also ranged from 0- 1.90 log
10
CFU/g. Molds and yeasts counts were generally low and ranged from 0- 2.48 log
10
CFU/g and 0- 1.0 log
10 CFU/g, respectively. None of the samples tested contained
Listeria monocytogenes
and
Salmonella spp.
Fungal microbial loads were minimal given
the quantities, and were deleterious to the health of consumers. The study revealed that
the bacterial loads on mixed vegetable salads, ingredients and water samples used and
served by an urban restaurant in Accra were within safe limits according to American
Public Health Association (APHA) and International Commission for Microbiological
Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) guidelines and, therefore, good for human
consumption.
