Microbial contamination associated with the processing of tchachanga, a roasted meat product

摘要

This study aimed?to assess?the microbiological contamination and quality oftchachanga, a roasted meat braised product processed at traditional scale in Benin, West Africa. A survey was performed to collect?samples of?tchachanga?and?data related to hygienic conditions of the roasted meat processing environment. A total of 60 samples of?tchachanga?including skewers, roasted meat and seasoned wrapped meat were collected from different processing sites in Cotonou, Benin. The?main food borne microorganisms involved were investigated using standard methods. Moreover, a follow-up of?tchachanga?processing was performed to identify contamination factors of the product. In this respect, samples were collected at certain steps during the processing, and various microorganisms such as coliforms, pathogenicStaphylococcus?and?Salmonella?were traced. The number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria in different products ranged between 6.47±0.61 and?6.93±0.43 Log (cfu/g).Total?coliforms, faecal coliforms and?Staphylococci?ranged from 1.59 to 4.79, 1.00 to 3.2 and 3.49 to 5.2?Log (cfu/g),?respectively.?No significant differences were observed in?the?microbial count of different types of?tchachanga?investigated, but different processing methods had significant changes in the microbial content of the samples as a result of the processing environments and the ingredients?used.?The presence ofSalmonella?sp. was observed in all products.