Microbial Contamination of Chicken Sold in Butchery Outlets in Nairobi County in Kenya

Abstract

In recent times, food handling and hygiene practices in the food industry have raised significant concerns. When food is not handled properly during preparation, processing, and storage, the chances of foodborne illnesses significantly rise. A noticeable increase in cases of foodborne illnesses has been attributed to microbial contamination in chicken products. The microbiological quality of chicken sold in retail outlets often varies due to hygienic practices from the point of sourcing from suppliers to the time of sale. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the microbial contamination of chicken sold in the butchery outlets in Nairobi County. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the current practices and food safety knowledge of the chicken retailers in Nairobi County. To determine the pathogenic contamination level (Camphylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus auerus) of the chicken sold in the butchery outlets in Nairobi, and to identify and characterize the pathogens in the isolates obtained from the chicken sold and the swabs of the butchery outlets using PCR. The design of the study was a cross-sectional survey; it was conducted in Kamkunji sub-county where the five different wards were included in the study. A total of 64 butchery outlets from Kamukunji’s five wards were included. Evaluation of the level of food safety knowledge and practices of the retailers was done using structured questionnaires, observations and with the use of a checklist of questions. Swabs of the personnel, the equipment used, surfaces and the retailed chicken were taken and subjected to microbial analysis to determine the pathogenic contamination level (Camphylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus auerus). Identification and characterization of the pathogens in the chicken sold in these retail markets isolates were also done using PCR. The study setting was purposively selected as the butchery outlets in Nairobi County, in Kamkunji sub county. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Scientists (SPSS version 20) and Stata version 12. Data was subjected to descriptive statistics to determine the current practices and food safety knowledge among poultry retailers. Data was also subjected to two-way ANOVA to determine differences in microbial load in the different chicken parts sold in different wards in Kamukunji Sub- County. Data analysis was done at a 95% confidence interval and mean separation was done using the Bonferroni method. Data was presented using tables and graphs...