Microbiological Quality of Shawarma in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 108 shawarma (cooked meat) samples were aseptically collected from various fast-food restaurants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These samples were examined by standard procedures for determination of aerobic plate count (APC), and counts of coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus , Clostridium perfringens , and the detection of salmonellae. The APC ranged from 102 to 3.0 × 108 CFU/g. The counts for coliforms, S. aureus and C. perfringens ranged from <10 to 106, <10 to 105 and <10 to 106 CFU/g, respectively. Twelve percent of the shawarma samples was positive for Salmonella . The results of this investigation indicate that foodborne pathogens present in shawarmas constitute a potential public health hazard.