Bacterial contamination of restaurant food in Khartoum state

Abstract

This study was carried out to isolate the bacterial contamination of restaurant food in Khartoum state, during August to December 2005. Sixty swabs were collected from restaurant food, worker’s hands and dishes as follows: Twenty swabs from restaurant food,twenty from worker’s hands and twenty from dishes which used to: 1- Isolate the bacteria may contaminated restaurant food. 2- Determine the type of bacteria may contaminate restaurant food. 3- Determine the important source of restaurant food included worker’s hands and utensils. 4- Determine the pathogenic bacteria for human and recommended the best methods to guarantee the hygienic safety of consumer. The samples cultured onto Blood agar, MacConkey agar and Nutrient agar. A total number of 155 bacterial isolates were obtained and characterized according to their morphology, Gram stain reaction and biochemical proprieties. The isolated included Gram-positive bacteria were Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thringiensis, Bacillus spharicus, Bacillus pantothenticus, Bacillus subtilisandStaphylococcus capre. And Gram- negative bacteria were,Acinetobacter coloaceticus, Moraxella spp, Pseudomonas fluorscens, Aeromonas salmonicida, Flavobacterium thalpophilum, Klebsiella pnenmonias subsp. ozaenae, kluyvera spp, Proteusmirabilis, Enterbacter cloacae, E. coli, Hafnia alvei and Enterobacter sakazakii. The high contamination rate by Gram-negative and spore forming bacilli (Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thringiensis, Bacillus 5 spharicus, Bacillus pantothenticus, Bacillus subtilis ) which considered a potential food poisoning bacteria. This study detected a potential source of contaminated restaurant food was worker’s hands. The isolated of Bacillus species and Coliform species indicated the poor personal hygienic. Worker’s hands and utensils showed contamination by organisms usually found in food such as: Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thringiensis and Proteus mirabilis, Flavobacterium thalpophilum, Klebsiella pnenmonias subsp. ozaenae and. This indicates re-contamination by worker’s who comein contact with food through all stages of processing. Other source of contamination were utensils which my contaminated by water and soil. From this point we concluded food hygienic depend on the hygienic and awareness food worker’s. There for we advise to raise hygienic awareness food worker’s