Determination Of Bacteriological Quality Of Fresh Beef Post- Harvesting In Nyagacho Slum, Kericho, Kenya

ABSTRACT

While foodborne diseases remain an important public health problem worldwide, one of the most significant food safety hazards is associated with those from animals. Food borne infections and illnesses are a major international health problem with consequent economic reduction and deaths. Meat is considered the most important source of proteins consumed by humans, yet most perishable. For highly perishable foodstuffs such as fresh red meat, the threat of food poisoning is particularly high since it contains all the nutrients that support bacterial growth. Inappropriate slaughtering and retail operation can compromise food safety and more so, in densely populated areas like informal settlements. In the present study, the microbial quality of meat from slaughterhouse and butcheries supplying residents of Nyagacho, Kericho County was assessed to determine their safety for human consumption and to highlight the potential contamination points. The bacteriological quality of the meat samples were performed using the Total Plate Count (TPC) method, while standard culture methods were used for bacteria isolation and identification. Equipment, walls, floors, hands and clothing of meat personnel were swabbed and analyzed by means of Rodac plates. The results obtained indicated that the meat quality from the butcheries exceeded acceptable range over the study period. The bacteriological load obtained from the study in the slaughterhouse however, was within the acceptable range 5.0 cfu/g and hence all butchery meat sampled during the study was not fit for consumption. It was established that there was a high significant difference (p=0.000 at p