Assessment of Hygiene Conditions in Hotel’s Restaurant and Microbial Changes of Prepared Ground Beef Sauce During Cold Storage

This study evaluates the quality management system, sanitary conditions, and microbial changes in food prepared at hotels’s restaurant. The food safety management system is assessed based on criteria related to the layout, equipment and utensils, sanitation programs, practices, and the knowledge of food safety among the kitchen staff at the hotel’s restaurant. Additionally, sanitary conditions are evaluated through microbial indicators of food-contact surfaces, water samples, and ice. A typical product of the preparation and cold storage process in the restaurant is ground beef sauce. Ground beef sauce samples were collected at various time points (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days) during refrigerated and frozen storage. Microbiological analysis determined the total plate count (TPC), pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens), indicator microorganisms (Coliforms, Escherichia coli), and spoilage microorganisms (Pseudomonas spp., yeasts and molds). Data were statistically processed to evaluate the relationship between sanitary conditions, the quality management system, and microbial changes in the food. The results help verify the food safety conditions in the restaurant and hotel and optimize the process of storing prepared food in hotel’s restaurants.