Microbiological quality and safety of street vended raw meat in Jijiga town of Somali Regional State, southeast Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the microbial quality and safety of street vended raw meats in Jijiga town, Ethiopia. Questionnaire was used to assess the profile of 33 street vendors. A total of 60 meat samples (30 beef and 30 goats) were collected. The pH and holding temperature were measured. Six microbial groups were counted using standard methods. The aerobic mesophilic flora was characterized. Vendors had very little degree of awareness on food safety and food borne diseases. The sanitary condition of the vending environment was poor. The mean pH values were 6.03 and 5.98 for beef and goat meat samples, respectively. The samples were held in a temperature range of 17.5-27.5°C. Total mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms, Staphylococci, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and moulds had counts of >7, 4, 6, 4 and 4log cfu/g respectively for both species. The aerobic plate counts were dominated by Staphylococcus spp. followed by Enterobacteriaceae. Salmonellae were also isolated from 5 (8.3%) meat samples. There were significant differences (P<0.05) between goat and beef samples in total mesophilic bacteria and Staphylococci counts. The samples harbored high counts of microorganisms. Trainings, inspections, infrastructures and code of practice are recommended.