Bacteriological analysis of different foods to determine the fitness for consumption

ABSTRACT

A total of 230 food samples were collected over a period of 18 months from different shops, vendors and canteens of Rawalpindi/Islamabad region. The sample included cooked, uncooked, frozen and non frozen [pre-packed] food. One hundred and five samples were found contaminated with different bacterial strains, which were grown at two different temperatures i.e. 35-37°C and at room temperature. The pathogenic microorganisms isolated were identified as Coliforms group, 79 [75.23%], Escherichia coli, 49 [46.66%], Staphylococcus aureus, 11 [10.47%], Clostridium perfringens, 5 [4.85%] and Salmonella spp, 1 [0.9%]. Other pathogens namely, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were not isolated