MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF NOODLES SOLD AT RAMADAN BAZAAR IN KUCHING, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/bsj.v45i1.5477Keywords:
Food safety,, noodles, microbiological quality, Ramadan bazaar, street foodAbstract
The Ramadan bazaar offers a diverse array of food options for many during the month of Ramadan. However, with the rising incidents of food poisoning, there are ongoing concerns about the microbiological quality of the food. This study investigates the microbial
quality of various noodle types sold at the Ramadan bazaar in Kuching, Sarawak. A total of thirtythree (33) samples were collected from various locations and tested for Aerobic Plate Count (APC), coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Salmonella spp. Among the samples, 88%, 3%, 21%, 6%, and 16% exceeded acceptable limits for APC, coliforms, E. coli, S. aureus, and B.cereus, respectively, while none of the samples tested positive for Salmonella spp. Additionally, local noodle dishes such as Laksa Sarawak, Kolo mee, and mee Jawa showed the highest levels of contamination with E. coli, S. aureus, and B. cereus in this study. The presence of APC, coliforms, E. coli, S. aureus, and B. cereus indicates cross-contaminationresulting from insufficient hygiene practices before and after the cooking process.
References
Abd Rahim, N. L., Bakar, N. F. A., & Zulfakar, S. S. (2019). Bacterial Contamination in Foods Sold by Street Vendors Around Chow Kit Area. Asia Pacific Environmental and Occupational Health Journal, 5(2):23-29.
Abdul-Mutalib, N. A., Syafinaz, A. N., Sakai, K., & Shirai, Y. (2015). An overview of food borne illness and food safety in Malaysia. International Food Research Journal, 22(3):896-901.
Afreen, A., Ahmed, Z., Ahmad, H., & Khalid, N. (2019). Estimates and burden of foodborne pathogens in RTE beverages in relation to vending practices. Food Quality and Safety, 3(2):107-115.
Alem, K. (2020). Bacterial load assessment of some food items sold in street in Woldia Town, North-East Ethiopia. Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology,14(3):1845-1854.
Amare, A., Worku, T., Ashagirie, B., Adugna, M., Getaneh, A., & Dagnew, M. (2019). Bacteriological profile, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolates among street vended foods and hygienic practice of vendors in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. BMC microbiology, 19: 1-9.
Anowai C. O., Agarry O. O., & Akin-Osanaiye B. C. (2019). Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated From Food Handlers in Abuja, Nigeria Review. World Journal of Research and Review, 9(1):05-11.
Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC). (2002a). AOAC® Official Method of Analysis 990.12 Aerobic plate count in foods, dry rehydratable film (PetrifilmTM Aerobic Count Plate) method. AOAC Int. Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC). (2002b). AOAC® Official Method of Analysis 991.14 Coliform and Escherichia coli counts in foods, dry rehydratable film (PetrifilmTM) E.coli/Coliform Count PlateTM and PetrifilmTM Coliform Count PlateTM) methods. AOAC Int. Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC). (2003). AOAC® Official Method of Analysis 2003.07 Enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus in selected types of processed and prepared foods, (PetrifilmTM Staph Express Count Plate) Method. AOAC Int. Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Berita Harian, (2022). 57 notis kompaun dikenakan kepada peniaga sepanjang Ramadan. https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/wilayah/2022/04/946919/57-notis-kompaun- dikenakan-kepada-peniaga-sepanjang-ramadan. Downloaded on 15 May 2023.
Birgen, B. J., Njue, L.G., Kaindi, D. M., Ogutu, F. O., & Owade, J. O. (2020). Determinants of Microbial Contamination of street-vended chicken products sold in Nairobi County, Kenya. International Journal of Food Science, 20:8.
Fahani, A., Dwiyanti, R. D., & Muhlisin, A. (2019). Contamination of Bacillus cereus in Elementary School Snack Food. Tropical Health and Medical Research, 1(2): 56-61.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) (2022). Compendium of Microbiological Criteria forFood.https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Documents/Compendium_revised%20March%202022.pdf (Downloaded on 10 June 2022)
International Standardization Organization (ISO). (2002). Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella spp. ISO Norm 6579: (2002/COR 1:2004). International Standardization Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
International Standardization Organization (ISO). (2002). Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the enumeration of presumptive Bacillus cereus - Colony-count technique at 30°C. ISO Norm 7932: (2004). International Standardization Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Khasnabis, J., Adhikari, P., Chowdhury, D., Rai, C., & Roy, A. (2017). Incidence of multiple drug resistant Bacillus cereus in some popular snacks and sweets sold in Kolkata city, India. Indian Journal Microbiology Research, 4(1):14-19.
Lee, H. K., Abdul Halim, H., Thong, K. L., & Chai, L. C. (2017). Assessment of food safety knowledge, attitude, self-reported practices, and microbiological hand hygiene of food handlers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(1), 55.
Mehboob, A., & Abbas, T. (2019). Evaluation of microbial quality of street food in Karachi City, Pakistan: An epidemiological study. Microbiology Research, 10(1):7463.
Mohd Nawawee, N. S., Abu Bakar, N. F., & Zulfakar, S. S. (2019). Microbiological safety of street-vended beverages in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 4463.
Mumu, F., Acharjeel, M., Tun Nur, I., Islam, T., & Hassan, M. M. (2021). Evaluation of Food borne pathogens in ready-to-eat noodles collected from the different shops in the Dhaka City, Bangladesh. SVOA Microbiology.
Nguendo, Y. H. B. (2018). Eating to live or eating to damage one’s health: microbiological risks associated with street vended foods in a subtropical urban setting (Yaoundé-Cameroon). Nutrition and Foods Sciences International Journal, 6(4):1-13.
Nurul, F. M., Noorlis, A., Ain, H. N., & Suwaibah, M. (2017). Enumeration of Escherichia coli from fresh coconut milk in Negeri Sembilan, West Malaysia. International Food Research Journal, 24(1):455.
Saba, C. K. S., Antwi, M. V., & Adzitey, F. (2019). Prevalence of Bacillus cereus in ready-to-eat boiled and fried rice in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene, 5(1): 19-23.
Salamandane, A., Silva, A. C., Brito, L., & Malfeito-Ferreira, M. (2020). Microbiological assessment of street foods at the point of sale in Maputo (Mozambique). Food Quality and Safety, 5:1-9.
Sari, P. M., & Muhlisin, A. (2019). Staphylococcus aureus in Traditional Coconut milk Drinks. Tropical Health and Medical Research, 1(1):33-38. Siddabathuni, A. (2019). Bacteriological analysis of ready-to-serve foods from a South Indian City: a potential source for drug resistant pathogens. Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 9(02):83-89.
Reda, N., Ketema, B., & Tsige, K. (2017). Microbiological quality and safety of some-street-vended foods in Jimma Town, Southwestern Ethiopia. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 11(14):574-585.
Tamilnila, M., Mageswari, M., Chinnamani, S., & Sivasuriyan, S. (2018). Analysis of bacteriology of most popular street food (noodles) in Thanjavur. Asian Journal of Innovative Research, 3(2):14-18.
The Sun. (2023). MOH issues RM 197600 in fines under Ramadan bazaar Hygiene Safety Op. https://thesun.my/local/moh-issues-rm197600-in-fines-under-ramadan-bazaar-hygiene-safety-op-AA10892828. Downloaded on 15 May 2023.
Thi, A. N. T., Kittirath, P., Abiola, S. D., Duy, L. N. D., & Ha, N. C. (2021). Evaluation of street food safety and hygiene practices of food vendors in Can Tho City of Vietnam. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 9(1):158-171.
Trafialek, J., Drosinos, E. H., Laskowski, W., Jakubowska-Gawlik, K., Tzamalis, P., Leksawasdi, N., Surawang, S., & Kolanowski, W. (2018). Street food vendors’ hygenic practices in some Asian and EU countries - A survey. Food Control, 85:212-222.
Upadhyaya, S., Srivastava, P., Chandra, R., & Arora, N. (2017). Microbiological assessment and hazardous effects of ready-to-eat foods presented for sale in Lucknow City, India. African Journal of Food Science, 11(10):346-352.
Utusan Borneo, (2023). Peniaga didenda RM1,000 kerana jual makanan tercemar.
https://www.utusanborneo.com.my/2023/10/24/peniaga-didenda-rm1000-kerana-j ual-makanan-tercemar?fbclid=IwAR3guX-oahYOZLGFEykh3NNrC6I15fxPYm Wut6i2n-1PXynJHtNLlDg-NQo. Downloaded on 26 Oct 2023.
Vedesh, R., & Neel, A. (2017). Microbial analysis of street foods of different locations at Chennai city, India. Indian J. Appl. Biosci, 11:33-41.
Woh, P. Y., Thong, K. L., Lim, Y. A. L., Behnke, J. M., Lewis, J. W., & Mohd Zain, S. N. (2017). Microorganisms as an indicator of hygiene status among migrant food handlers in Peninsular Malaysia. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 29(7), 599-607.
Yeo, F. K. S., Tesfamariam, F., Chong, Y. L., Bilung, L. M., Andriesse, R., & Tahar, A. S. (2018). Presence of Bacillus cereus from local unhusked (rough) rice samples in Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 13 (1):181-187.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Total Views: 39
| 
Total Downloads: 7
