Microbiological Study of Raw Buff Meat and Raw Buff Sausages Sold in Bhaktapur

Abstract

The present study was done to investigate the microbiological quality of raw buff meat and raw buff sausages of Bhaktapur. Altogether 45 raw buff meat samples collected from nine different locations and 30 raw buff sausages sample from three different sites were analyzed. The total viable count, total coliform count and isolation and identification of the organisms were carried out following the standard procedures. The mean total plate count of raw buff meat ranged from 1.9x106cfu/gm to 1.4x107cfu/gm and that of raw buff sausages ranged from 1.5x105cfu/gm to 8.3x105cfu/gm whereas the total coliform count of raw buff meat ranged from 6.3x104cfu/gm to 1.3x106cfu/gm and that of raw buff sausages ranged from 1.3x103 cfu/gm to 3.5x104cfu/gm The organism isolated from the raw buff meat includes of Escherichia coli (34.0%) Klebsiella oxytoca (12.0%), Citrobacter diversus and Enterobacter spp (10.0%) Citrobacter freundii and Staphylococcus aureus (7.0%), Proteus vulgaris (5.0%), Salmonella spp and K. pneumonia (4.0%) and Pr. mirabilis, Salmonella spp and Shigella spp (2.0%) and from raw buff sausages isolated bacteria are:- E.coli (37.9%), K. pneumonia (14.8) Citrobacter freundii and Staphylococcus aureus (12.7%), Citrobacter diversus (8.5%), Enterobacter spp and K. oxytoca (6.3%), Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp and Pr. mirabilis (2.1%).

Antibiotic susceptibility test was also done against each isolated organism. The result show almost all the isolates were susceptible to tested antibiotics used except some few strain. Among the antibiotics used, ofloxacin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, and amikacin were found to be highly effective whereas tetracycline and nalidixic acid were found to least effective in comparison to other antibiotics disc.

Most of the bacterial isolate were found to be commensals organism. Since these bacteria are opportunists, they can be pathogenic to human in condition when the host defence mechanism is weak. Thus it is suggested that regular monitoring of the quality of meat and sausages must be practiced to avoid any food-borne pathogenic outbreaks in future.