Title: Safety of cooked foods in home and street vended conditions beyond two hours: relevance of 'safe storage temperature' message from WHO's five keys for safe food in India

Authors: Alekhya Sabbithi; Naveen Kumar Ramachandrappa; SubbaRao M. Gavaravarapu; N. Balakrishna; Sudershan Rao Vemula

Addresses: Food and Drug Toxicology Research Center, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Jamai Osmania, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007, India ' Food and Drug Toxicology Research Center, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Jamai Osmania, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007, India ' Publication, Extension and Training Division, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Hyderabad, India ' Division of Biostatistics, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Hyderabad, India ' Food and Drug Toxicology Research Center, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Jamai Osmania, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007, India

Abstract: The present study examined the differences in microbial growth of foods prepared in household and street vended conditions. Three commonly consumed foods (rice, dhal, meat) were prepared in household (HH) condition and similar food samples collected from street vendors for microbial analysis (USFDA-BAM protocol) at every 2 hrs up to 8 hrs. TBC in cooked rice appeared after 6 hrs (log 0.45 ± 0.36 cfu/g) and 2 hrs of storage (log 0.95 ± 0.94 cfu/g) from HH foods and street foods respectively. Meat samples had log 1.28 ± 1.48 cfu/g at 8 hrs and log 1.17 ± 1.35 at 4 hrs in HH and street foods respectively. Bacillus cereus and Salmonella spp. were identified in street-vended dhal samples after 4 hrs. There is a need for better understanding on shelf life of cooked foods in HH conditions and street foods.

Keywords: microbial growth; households; rice; dhal; meat; street foods; storage; cooked foods; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFSNPH.2021.113403

International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, 2021 Vol.6 No.2, pp.104 - 119

Accepted: 08 May 2019
Published online: 03 Mar 2021 *

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