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Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar

Received: 11 November 2023    Accepted: 29 November 2023    Published: 11 December 2023
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Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the handling practices and microbiological contamination of pathogenic bacteria in Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) from Zanzibar, specifically at four landing sites: Malindi, Mazizini, Kizimkazi, and Matemwe. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used to assess hygiene practices by fish handlers, and swabbing method was used to assess cleanliness of the boat and landing floor before fish were collected for consumption. Standard methods for microbial analysis (ISO7218:2007(E)) were used to analyze Total viable counts, S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella. The mean total viable (TVC) ranged from 2.82-3.30 log CFU/g across landing sites. S. aureus was the most frequently isolated bacterium, with an isolation rate of 53.33% in Malindi, 60% in both Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 46.67% in Matemwe. E. coli was present but less frequently, with isolation rates of 6.67% in Malindi, 33.33% in Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 20% in Matemwe. Salmonella spp was absent in all samples, with a 0% isolation rate across landing sites. There was positive correlation of 0.59 and 0.65 between fish contamination and swab samples from boats and landing floors respectively. Inadequate practices by fish handlers, such as not wearing gloves, neglecting health checks, and insufficient training, were revealed. The facilities used were also poor, with poor sanitation and low-quality raw materials. The findings emphasize the urgent need for intervention measures to enhance fish quality and safety in Zanzibar, including improvements in raw materials, infrastructure, training, and good practices throughout the fish value chain.

Published in International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology (Volume 8, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15
Page(s) 98-109
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Landing Sites, Rabbit Fish (Signus surtor), Contamination, Microbiological Quality, E. coli, S. aureus, Salmonella and Food Safety

References
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Cite This Article
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    Nassor Mohamed, Z., Issa-Zacharia, A., Nyamete, F. (2023). Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar. International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 8(4), 98-109. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15

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    ACS Style

    Nassor Mohamed, Z.; Issa-Zacharia, A.; Nyamete, F. Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar. Int. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2023, 8(4), 98-109. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15

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    AMA Style

    Nassor Mohamed Z, Issa-Zacharia A, Nyamete F. Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar. Int J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2023;8(4):98-109. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15,
      author = {Zeyana Nassor Mohamed and Abdulsudi Issa-Zacharia and Frida Nyamete},
      title = {Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar},
      journal = {International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology},
      volume = {8},
      number = {4},
      pages = {98-109},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmb.20230804.15},
      abstract = {The study aimed to evaluate the handling practices and microbiological contamination of pathogenic bacteria in Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) from Zanzibar, specifically at four landing sites: Malindi, Mazizini, Kizimkazi, and Matemwe. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used to assess hygiene practices by fish handlers, and swabbing method was used to assess cleanliness of the boat and landing floor before fish were collected for consumption. Standard methods for microbial analysis (ISO7218:2007(E)) were used to analyze Total viable counts, S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella. The mean total viable (TVC) ranged from 2.82-3.30 log CFU/g across landing sites. S. aureus was the most frequently isolated bacterium, with an isolation rate of 53.33% in Malindi, 60% in both Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 46.67% in Matemwe. E. coli was present but less frequently, with isolation rates of 6.67% in Malindi, 33.33% in Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 20% in Matemwe. Salmonella spp was absent in all samples, with a 0% isolation rate across landing sites. There was positive correlation of 0.59 and 0.65 between fish contamination and swab samples from boats and landing floors respectively. Inadequate practices by fish handlers, such as not wearing gloves, neglecting health checks, and insufficient training, were revealed. The facilities used were also poor, with poor sanitation and low-quality raw materials. The findings emphasize the urgent need for intervention measures to enhance fish quality and safety in Zanzibar, including improvements in raw materials, infrastructure, training, and good practices throughout the fish value chain.
    },
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Microbiological Quality of Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) and Food Safety Practice of Fish Handlers from Selected Landing Sites in Zanzibar
    AU  - Zeyana Nassor Mohamed
    AU  - Abdulsudi Issa-Zacharia
    AU  - Frida Nyamete
    Y1  - 2023/12/11
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15
    T2  - International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
    JF  - International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
    JO  - International Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    EP  - 109
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-9686
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmb.20230804.15
    AB  - The study aimed to evaluate the handling practices and microbiological contamination of pathogenic bacteria in Rabbit Fish (Signus Sutor) from Zanzibar, specifically at four landing sites: Malindi, Mazizini, Kizimkazi, and Matemwe. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used to assess hygiene practices by fish handlers, and swabbing method was used to assess cleanliness of the boat and landing floor before fish were collected for consumption. Standard methods for microbial analysis (ISO7218:2007(E)) were used to analyze Total viable counts, S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella. The mean total viable (TVC) ranged from 2.82-3.30 log CFU/g across landing sites. S. aureus was the most frequently isolated bacterium, with an isolation rate of 53.33% in Malindi, 60% in both Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 46.67% in Matemwe. E. coli was present but less frequently, with isolation rates of 6.67% in Malindi, 33.33% in Mazizini and Kizimkazi, and 20% in Matemwe. Salmonella spp was absent in all samples, with a 0% isolation rate across landing sites. There was positive correlation of 0.59 and 0.65 between fish contamination and swab samples from boats and landing floors respectively. Inadequate practices by fish handlers, such as not wearing gloves, neglecting health checks, and insufficient training, were revealed. The facilities used were also poor, with poor sanitation and low-quality raw materials. The findings emphasize the urgent need for intervention measures to enhance fish quality and safety in Zanzibar, including improvements in raw materials, infrastructure, training, and good practices throughout the fish value chain.
    
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Food Science and Agro-Processing, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

  • Department of Food Science and Agro-Processing, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

  • Department of Food Science and Agro-Processing, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

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