Microbiological Assessment of Food Contact Surfaces in Residential College Cafeterias at a Local University in Malaysia / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

ABSTRACT

A food premise’s sanitation level can be reflected by the cleanliness of its food contact surfaces. Contaminated foodcontact surfaces along with poor handling methods by food handlers may increase the risk of foodborne diseasesthrough cross-contamination events. This study aimed to assess the microbiological contamination levels on food contactsurfaces of 12 residential college cafeterias in a local university and its correlation with the cafeteria’s premise grade.The presence of selected indicator and pathogenic microorganisms (total viable count (TVC), total coliform, Escherichiacoli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp.) on food contact surfaces were also determined. Cuttingboards, knives and utensils (cutleries, bowls and plates) that were used for ready-to-eat food were sampled for this study.The cafeteria’s premise grade was obtained based on the food premise inspection report by the university Health Centre.Three cafeterias have significantly higher (p 0.01). This study demonstrated that the sanitation level of food contact surfaces in the residentialcollege cafeterias was only average. Improvements need to be done to increase the sanitation level of the cafeterias, thusassuring the safety of the food for consumers.