Identification of Coliform in Common Street Food and Associated Factors of Contamination in Noakhali, Bangladesh: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to find out the quality of street food as means of total coliform count and identify the relationship with the personal hygiene of the food vendors during cooking, processing, and serving of these foods as well. Study Design:  It is a cross-sectional study of nature. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, from October 2019 to February 2020. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a pretested structured questionnaire by convenient sampling method. Apart from data collection from 40 street vendors, nine types of street food were selected for analysis from those vendors, and a total of 40 samples were collected for a laboratory test. Most Probable Number (MPN) method was used for the determination of total coliform count. Findings: From the study, it was found that about 70% of food samples had a satisfactory level of coliform count (total coliform < 100 per gm). The study also identified that people aged 25 to 35 years had a greater satisfactory bacterial level (84.6%) in the foods, they sold due to incognizance about hygiene, significant relation between the timing of business and the bacterial count (p=0.049) was also reported in the present study. Conclusion: The present study was conducted to identify the quality of street food and the hygiene behaviors of the food vendors and the paper find out the need of proper education and training might be a compatible way to enhance the quality of street foods as well as to ensure a healthy lifestyle for the consumers.