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Published on: March 5, 2014
Microbial Contamination, Hygienic Practices, and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Food Milling Machines in
Benjamin Atta Frimpong1, Aboagye Kwarteng Dofuor1, Seyram Kofi Loh2
1Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Ghana, uesd.edu.gh.
Abstract:
The introduction of food milling machines has accelerated food processing, improved time efficiency, and reduced processing costs. Although food safety remains a crucial public health issue, concerns have been raised about potential microbial contamination of these machines due to unhygienic practices in the working environment and on the equipment, which can ultimately contaminate food products. This research is aimed at assessing the microbial contamination, hygienic practices, and antimicrobial resistance patterns associated with food milling machines in Somanya, Yilo Krobo Municipality, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. We employed a descriptive cross-sectional design, with sampling conducted from food milling machines in selected areas of Somanya. A total of 129 bacterial species, classified into six (6) groups, were identified using MALDI-TOF. The most prevalent species identified included Klebsiella spp. (41.86%), Enterobacter spp. (23.25%), Acinetobacter spp. (10.08%), Escherichia coli (8.53%), Salmonella spp. (1.55%), and other species (14.73%). The average bacterial load and coliform count in the swab suspensions were 2.7938 × 106 and 2.3709 × 106 CFU/mL, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed high resistance to ampicillin among Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., E. coli, and Acinetobacter spp., while no isolate was resistant to amikacin. The study identified several bacterial species whose presence around these machines raises concerns about hygiene and sanitary practices, calling for stringent hygiene and sanitation regulations among operators and across machines in Somanya, Ghana.
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