Microbial Analysis of Street Food Samples from Bichi Central Market, Kano State, Nigeria: Implications for Food Safety and Public Health

Study’s Excerpt/Novelty This study presents a detailed bacteriological analysis of popular street foods from the Bichi Central Market in Kano, highlighting the public health risks associated with their consumption. By identifying significant bacterial contamination in 90% of the samples, including the presence of harmful microorganisms such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Vibrio spp., the research underscores the urgent need for effective food safety interventions. These findings contribute valuable data to the field of food safety, particularly in developing regions, and emphasize the importance of stringent hygiene practices in street food preparation to prevent food-borne illnesses. Full Abstract One fundamental prerequisite for food quality is food safety. Twenty samples of street food-fried rice, rice and beans, spaghetti, and jollof rice were randomly chosen from five separate sellers in the Bichi Central Market, Kano. The samples were taken in sterile polythene bags on ice to stop the growth of bacteria. The samples were sub-cultured and subjected to the pour plate procedure for bacteriological analysis. To use pour plate techniques, the sample was serially diluted. The first and last tubes were chosen, and 1 ml of each sample was pipetted into the Nutrient agar plate and incubated for 24 hours at 37oC before being checked for growth. The amounts of bacterial growth in each of the screened food samples ranged from 1.0 X 105 to 2.6 X 106 cfu/ml. Bacterial counts in 90% of the food samples exceeded the acceptable threshold (104 cfu/ml), and bacterial counts in 10% showed low counts. The food samples identified five distinct varieties of bacteria, including Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio spp. Multiple harmful microorganisms were isolated from spaghetti and jollof rice. The results showed that street food has the quality to spread food-borne illnesses, which highlights the need for workable solutions focused on street food safety.