Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Malaysia Kelantan
MyJurnal

Abstract

The Ramadhan fast is a form of worship where Muslims spend the daylight hours in a complete
fast. During the month of Ramadhan, a large number of people tend to purchase food from
stalls or bazaars for breaking fast. It is crucial that the foods prepared and sold are handled in
a clean and safe manner. Thus, this research focused on evaluating the microbiological quality
of cooked meat products (beef and chicken) from food bazaars and street-vended foods in
10 districts throughout the state of Kelantan. A total of 100 samples were collected from all
10 districts in Kelantan and were tested for coliform, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and
Staphylococcus spp. Microbiological analysis of the meat samples showed unsatisfactory
results where a total of 42% of the samples were found unsatisfactory for coliform. The overall
prevalence for Staphylococcus spp. in beef and chicken were 19.6% and 12.9%. Escherichia
coli were detected in 23.9% of beef and 12.9% of chicken. Non-compliances for Salmonella
were found in 13% and 9.3% of beef and chicken samples. This study determined the presence
of foodborne pathogen in cooked meat products and indicated the possibilities of cross
contamination and lack of hygiene during food handling.