Abstract:
Vegetable based foods have been incriminated as a major source of food borne diseases
world over. The objective of this study too was to determine the microbiological quality of
the vegetable based ready-to-eat products. There is a high possibility of spreading common
food borne pathogens such as Salmonella spp and Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia
coli through ready-to-eat foods. Recent history of food borne outbreaks illustrates occurrence
of food borne illness due to common food borne pathogens by consumption of ready-to-eat
foods with vegetable origin. A total of 21 ready-to-eat foods of vegetable origin were
analyzed in this study. Indicators of faecal origin; (Escherichia coli) and food borne
pathogens; (Salmonella spp and Staphylococcus aureus) were the criteria tested for the
evaluation of microbiological quality of vegetable based ready-to-eat foods. Examination of
the foods revealed that the majority (16 out of 21; 76.2%) were of satisfactory or acceptable
microbiological quality according to Public Health Laboratory Service microbiological
guidelines, while 5 (23.8%) samples were of unsatisfactory microbiological quality.
Unsatisfactory quality was due to Eschericia coli levels higher than 102 CFU/g and
Staphylococcus aureus levels in between 102 - <103 CFU/g. Salmonella spp were not detected
in any of the samples tested. Ready-to-eat foods can be contaminated with food borne
pathogens during the production process. The presence of food borne pathogens in ready-toeat
foods can result in a range of human health problems as well as economic losses.
Ensuring good quality raw materials, adequate lethality treatment, effective sanitation of both
the equipment and processing environment and implementation of good hygiene practices are
crucial in preventing contaminations of ready-to-eat foods.
