Indian Journal of Science

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1 Indian Journal of Science, Vol. 23, No. 81, May 1, 2016 ISSN EISSN Indian Journal of Science An International Journal Microbial Assay of Street Foods in Vijayawada Saritha N 1, Varalakshmi KN 2 1. HOD, Department of Microbiology, Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India 2. HOD, Department of Applied Nutrition, Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha MahilKalasala, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India Publication History Received: 17 March 2016 Accepted: 23 April 2016 Published: 1 May 2016 Citation Saritha N, Varalakshmi KN. Microbial Assay of Street Foods in Vijayawada. Indian Journal of Science, 2016, 23(81), Publication License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. General Note Article is recommended to print as digital color version in recycled paper. ABSTRACT Food vending in streets in India pertains to unorganised sector of food processing where some times poor hygiene and inappropriate sanitation may cause contamination of food products with serious health consequences.where the microbial assay plays the major role to ensure food safety and quality. The present study was carried out by starting with survey of street food counters in selected zones of vijayawada to gather selected street food from well identified street food centres for microbial analysis. Street foods taken are Panipuri, Noodles, Chat, Punugulu and chutney, Jelabi, Sugarcane Juice. Analysis of food samples revealed that the street food has stable standard plate counts weighing in between 6-15x cfu/gm and coli forms varying between 5-15x cfu/gm and staphylococcus and vibrio cholera almost absent in many of the samples but in chat sample alone the staphylococcus count was in between 14-17x cfu/gm. Noodles and sugar cane juice has traces of vibrio cholera count varying from 5-15x cfu/gm. But all the samples are highly contaminated with salmonella counts ranging from 26-75x cfu/gm. The presence of microorganisms indicated contamination of processing water,raw materials as well as the prevailing unhygienic Page441

2 conditions related to location of food stalls and especially in road side locations and near gutters. It is suggested that proper hygienic and sanitary conditions has to maintain both personally and institutionally. A continuous monitoring in each activity i.e. from preparation to cleaning is required in street food centres to avoid any food borne pathogenic out breaks in future. Key words: street foods, hygienic practices, food safety, Microorganisms. Abbreviations: CFU- Colony forming units 1. INTRODUCTION Food is an indispensible part of human life and so is the concept of street food in India. Street foods are not only inexpensive, convenient, a source of employment generation to a large population in developing countries like India. It also plays an important role as an enhancer and force multiplayer of tourism sector all over the world. Food vending on streets in India pertains to unorganised sector of food processing where sometimes poor hygiene and inappropriate sanitation may cause contamination of food products with serious health consequences where the nutritive and microbial assay plays the major role to ensure food safety and quality of foods entering international trade FAO states (2013) that as an informal sector of food business, street food often escape formal inspection and control. They can therefore be the sources of food safety problems and contribute to the deterioration of environmental hygiene. Street foods require a comprehensive policy to ensure that food is safe and wholesome. Over view of the area of study The area of study chosen is Vijayawada situated on the banks of river Krishna and also a major pilgrimage centre for pilgrims of goddess kanakadurga all over India. Because of its central location people from different parts of Andhra Pradesh and India pass by Vijayawada and most of them feed on street foods where its safety and nutrition is a matter of serious concern. According to 2011 census Vijayawada occupied top 4 th place in cities with more slum dwellers who consume more street food as it is inexpensive. Some of them also opt street vending as their means of livelihood and are completely unaware of food safety measures and hygienic practices. So the project aims at conducting a case study by collecting random samples of street foods in Vijayawada and doing microbial assay and suggesting safety measures to food handlers and consumers after the microbial assay 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was carried out by starting with survey of street food counters in selected zones of vijaya wada (Labbipet-central, Patamata-east, Krishna lanka-south, Nunna-north, Kothapeta-west) to gather selected street food and get the first hand information on the hygiene and sanitation conditions followed through questionnaire. Ten percent (out of 100 street food centres 10 centres) o f well identified street food centres were taken for microbial analysis by collecting food samples. Ten samples of each street food taken are-panipuri, Noodles,Chat, Punugulu and chutney, Jelabi and Sugarcane Juice. Collection of samples Sample is collected from five prime zones of Vijayawada Nunna (North Zone), Labbipet (central),kotha peta(west Zone), patamat a (East), Krishna lanka(south). Ten samples of each selected street food from each zone are taken. The samples are collected from street food centers with 15 days interval period. All the samples were aseptically collected in sterile containers, and analysed within an hour of procurement. Sample processing for analysis Ten grams of sample (Pani puri, Noodles, Chat, Punugulu and chutney, Jelabi) was weighed and homogenized with 90 ml sterile distil water using mortar and pestle. One ml of sugarcane juice is diluted in 9ml of sterile distil water and mixed well to obtain dilution. Serial dilutions were prepared for each sample and spread plate technique was used on appropriate selective media. Analysis The serially diluted samples were inoculated on nutrient agar medium for standard plate count and Mannitol salt agar medium for Staphylococcus aureus the causative organism of food poisoning and EMB agar medium for coli forms, TCBS medium for Vibrio cholera and DCA medium for Salmonella typhi. The colony count in each plate is taken using colony counter. Gram staining was done for each sample to identify the Gram nature. 3. RESULTS Page442

3 The results depicted in table showed the street food has stable standard plate counts weighing in between 6-15x cfu/gm and coli forms varying between 5x15x cfu/gm and staphylococcus and vibrio cholera almost absent in many of the samples but in chat sample alone the staphylococcus count was in between 14-17x cfu/gm.noodles and sugar cane juice has traces of vibrio cholera count varying from 5-15x cfu/gm.but all the samples are highly contaminated with salmonella counts ranging from 26-75x cfu/gm. Table 1 Mean Microbial profile of selected street food in and around Vijayawada (East) cfu/gm Name of the street food Patamata-east Punugulu &chutney 15x 26 x 16x Ab Ab Jelabi 5x 25x 5x Ab Ab Noodles 17x 44x 5x Ab 5x chat 19x 43x 5x 4x Ab panipuri 15x 30x 14x Ab Ab Sugarcane juice 24x 74x 14x Ab 6x Table 2 Mean Microbial profile of selected street food in Vijayawada (South)) cfu/gm Name of the street food Krishna lanka-south Punugulu &chutney 12x 24x 23x Ab Ab Jelabi 14x 34x 6x Ab Ab Noodles 18x 55x 12x Ab 8x chat 25x 55x 14x 16x Ab panipuri 15x 30x 15x Ab Ab Sugarcane juice 25x 75x 15x Ab 14x Table 3 Mean Microbial profile of selected street food in and around Vijayawada (west) cfu/gm Name of the street food Kothapeta-west Punugulu 20x 34x 24x Ab Ab Page443

4 &chutney Jelabi 14x 34x 15x Ab Ab Noodles 25x 55x 22x Ab 9x chat 25x 55x 14x 15x Ab panipuri 17x 33x 13x Ab Ab Sugarcane juice 23x 75x 14x Ab 15x Table 4 Mean Microbial profile of selected street food in Vijayawada (Central) cfu/gm Name of the street food Labbipet-central SPC DCA EMB MSA TCBS Punugulu &chutney 6x 25x 15x Ab Ab Jelabi 9x 15x 5x Ab Ab Noodles 15x 45x 6x Ab 6x chat 21x 43x 5x 15x Ab panipuri 14x 29x 13x Ab Ab Sugarcane juice 16x 65x 6x Ab 15x Table 5 Mean Microbial profile of selected street food in and around Vijayawada (North) cfu/gm Name of the street food Nunna-north Punugulu &chutney 14x 35 x 25x Ab Ab Jelabi 16x 35x 15x Ab Ab Noodles 21x 54x 18x Ab 10x chat 24x 64x 11x 17x Ab panipuri 20x 34x 14x Ab Ab Sugarcane juice 26x 72x 14x Ab 15x 4. DISCUSSION The present investigation reveals high microbial load in the street food studied. The microbial contaminants consist of comprising different pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, coli forms and vibrio cholera. Street food is prepared by the vendors at home or at the road side; Vendor s sites are mostly within five metres radius of dusty roads and foot Page444

5 paths. The vending sites are self-allocated and not varnished with sanitary amenities. Foods are held in different ways before selling; foods are placed openly on the stalls, after the food is prepared, it is not reheated to high temperatures before serving.the stalls are poorly constructed and increase the exposure to contamination by dust and smoke on the road side. Street vendors use tap water supplied from the municipal council or buy from water kiosks. In other instances water is ferried from home of the food vendors because there is no potable water available in their area of operation. This water is not enough for dish washing and food preparation and vendors do not wash fresh foods properly. It is noted that without formal education, the street food vendors lack knowledge on proper food handling and may play a role in transmission of food borne pathogens because of lack of personal hygiene and above factors it is contaminated by various bacteria. The outcome of this study shows that street vended food pose serious health risk to consumers as they contain high level of harmful microorganisms which may cause serious illness. Since street food is usually eaten without further processing, proper processing and adoption of strict aseptic techniques and good personal hygiene should be adhered t by vendors at the preparation stage in order to reduce microbial load and eliminate microbial contamination of the final product 5. CONCLUSION In the present study the street food items was contaminated with standard plate counts, salmonella and coli forms. The presence of these microorganisms in food can be linked to a number of factors such as improper handling and processing, use of contaminated water during washing and dilution, cross contamination from rotten fruits and vegetables, or the use of dirty processing utensils like knife and trays and also inadequate storage of these at ambient temperatures in un hygienic places and lack of maintenance of premises and personal hygiene of vendors which is the main cause of presence of salmonella in most of the street foods. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH The present study was chosen as the presence of microorganisms in street foods effects public health in large number as it is prepared in an unhygienic manner and escapes formal inspection. The street food chosen are Panipuri, Noodles, Chat, Punugulu and chutney, Jelabi and Sugarcane Juice in vijayawada area. Microbial analysis involved testing for the food poisoning causing bacteria like coli forms, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and vibrio cholera in chosen street food by taking colony counts in selective media for the above mentioned microorganisms. Media used are nutrient agar medium for standard plate count and Mannitol salt agar medium for Staphylococcus aureus the causative organism of food poisoning and EMB agar medium for coli forms, TCBS medium for Vibrio cholera and DCA medium for Salmonella typhi. All the street food items were contaminated with standard plate counts, salmonella and coli forms. The presence of these microorganisms in food can be linked to a number of factors such as improper handling and processing, use of contaminated water during washing and dilution, cross contamination from rotten fruits and vegetables, or the use of dirty processing utensils like knife and trays and also inadequate storage of these at ambient temperatures in un hygienic places and lack of maintenance of premises and personal hygiene of vendors which is the main cause of presence of salmonella in most of the street foods. FUTURE ISSUES The Food Safety and Standards (FSS) act of 2006 has become operational in the entire country from 5 th August, 2011, initiating a new era in food safety (Ministry of Law and Justice (2011). The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act 1954 has been amended to form FSS Act. The objective of PFA act was to prevent adulteration in food articles but the aim of FSS Act is to ensure safe and hygienic food. First time changes the new law is expected to incorporate are-registration of street food vendors with the state health departments; authority given to the individual citizens to get the testing of samples of food products themselves (with the guidelines laid down under FSSA); with stringent penalties. With this background of emerging regulatory mechanisms for street food, it becomes utmost important to assess the existing scenario of this highly popular and widespread activity by many scientists. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The present research work is funded by UGC under minor research project. AKNOWLEDGMENT I express my gratitude to our principal Dr.T.Vijaya lakshmi for her encouragement to pursue the present research work and also I would like to thank all my department members for their encouragement and support. REFERENCES 1. Food and agriculture organisation and United Nations Food safety and Quality 2. http/ 3. Government of India, Ministry of law and justice (Legislative department).(2011).the food safety and standards authority of India(FSSAI). Page445

6 4. WHO1996. Essential safety requirements for street-vended foods. 5. http/ en/street/en/streetvend.pdf 6. Chakravarthy I, 2003 streetfoods:safety.risl and Nutrition potential, 7. Experiments in Microbiology- k.r.aneja 4 th edition 8. Nutritive value of Indian foods by C.Gopalan, B.V.Rama Sastri and S.C.Balasubramanian 9. Microbiology a Laboratory Mannual 6 th Edition, Pearson education Cappuccino, Sherman 10. Aquatic Microbiology-G.Rhenheiner 11. Modern Food microbiology-jamesm.jay. 12. Food and Nutritional securities in developing countries a case study by Sunitha Mishra (BHU) Page446