Microbiological assessment of street foods at the point of sale in Maputo (Mozambique)

Abstract

In Mozambique, as in other developing countries, the sale of street food is a source of income for thousands of unemployed families. However, the safety of these types of foods is a serious problem, given their frequent association with food-borne outbreaks. The aim of this study was to assess the microbiological quality and safety of street food sold in the main streets and informal markets of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. From 83 different vendors selling different types of foods, 83 samples of ready-to-eat (RTE) street food were analyzed. Mesophiles, Escherichia coli and total coliforms were used as quality and hygiene indicators. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and coagulase positive staphylococci were used as food safety indicators. High proportions of unsatisfactory food samples were found in both traditional hot (76.7%) and cold (75%) foods. L. monocytogenes and Salmonella were tested negative in this survey. However, when coagulase positive staphylococci was used as a food safety indicator, approximately 25% (23/83) of the food samples analyzed were classified as unsatisfactory/potentially hazardous. These results, showing that street food sold in Maputo clearly requires adequate sanitary conditions for its preparation and sale, contribute to the development of good manufacturing practices (GMP) for street food in Maputo, Mozambique. This is the first report on the microbiological quality and safety of street food in Mozambique.

Culture-Dependent Evaluation of Microbial and Proximate Composition of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) African Salad Sold at Nkpolu-Oroworukwo Ultra-Modern Market (Mile 3, Diobu), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

“…GAS had higher values of pH, crude protein, fat, fibre, ash, and energy whereas UAS were higher in moisture and crude carbohydrate contents. MAB/TAPC which corroborates earlier literature reports [12,19], but exceeded limits for coliforms (E. coli inclusive) for street vended foods. However, investigators reported much higher counts when Ugba (Pentaclethra macrophylla) and Ogiri (Ricinus comminus) were incorporated into the dish [8,37].…”

“…The high percentage frequency of occurrence of E. coli and coliforms in African salad is phenomenal and consistent with those found in traditional RTE foods in Nigeria and other developing countries [12,24,25,38,39]. Such levels of contamination is suggestive of poor handling, sanitation and possible faecal pollution.…”

“…Processing of African salad necessitates boiling/cooking and fermentation by steeping in potable water for 24h or more to reduce starch and poisonous compounds (e.g., hydrogen cyanide) [8,11] to improve palatability and organoleptic properties prior to consumption. Several researchers have reported poor personal hygiene, lack of education, ingredients, water and sanitary status of the environment as fundamental predisposing factors of microbial contamination of vended RTE foods [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. A variety of the microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi and viruses) reported in RTE foods not only accentuate public health risks but also produce potential toxigenic compounds [4,[19][20][21][22].…”

High Fecal Contamination and High Levels of Antibiotic-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Water Consumed in the City of Maputo, Mozambique

“…Maputo has very diverse cultural and ethnic groups resulting from the country’s ethnic diversity and foreign immigrants from central African countries [ 27 , 28 ]. The administrative division of Maputo consists of seven municipal districts [ 28 , 29 ]. This study focused on four of them (Nlhamankulu, KaMaxaquene, KaMavota, and KaMubukwana) because of their abundant street selling activities [ 29 ].…”

“…The administrative division of Maputo consists of seven municipal districts [ 28 , 29 ]. This study focused on four of them (Nlhamankulu, KaMaxaquene, KaMavota, and KaMubukwana) because of their abundant street selling activities [ 29 ].…”