Popular cleaning systems of bottles reused for traditional food packaging in the city of Yaoundé (Cameroon) and study of their prospective effectiveness on biofilms

This study was focused on the collecting and recycling systems of bottles reused for traditional food packaging in the city of Yaoundé and the presence of biofilms in these bottles. A cross-sectional study approved by the Institutional Review Board was conducted in 43 quarters randomly selected in Yaoundé using a semi-structured questionnaire. The target population was producers and street sellers of traditional foods who used recovered bottles for food packaging and had freely signed the informed consent clearance. Then, the recovered bottles cleaned by the participants and ready to be reused as traditional food packaging were sampled and screened for the presence of biofilms. The results showed that 84% of the 162 participants were women. Bottles reused for traditional food packaging were mainly collected from garbage (70.4%). A total of six different cleaning processes were identified from manufacturers of traditional food products. The cleaning processes were significantly (p < 0.05) dependent on the education level and varied from one manufacturer to another. Amongst the identified cleaning processes, those which included soaking and disinfection unit operations were more efficient in biofilms’ removal. Bottles cleaned according to these processes scored the lowest biofilms’ contents. Independently of the cleaning processes, biofilms were detected in all recovered bottles. This might suggest a potential health risk for consumers

Microbial Profile of Fresh Beef Sold in the Markets of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, and Antiadhesive Activity of a Biosurfactant against Selected Bacterial Pathogens

Owing to its composition, meat is recognized as one of the best media for microbial growth leading to meat spoilage and food-borne illness. The ability of microorganisms to adhere to surfaces where meat is deposited during selling is a nonnegligible cause of meat contamination. This work was performed to assess the microbial profile of fresh beef sold in the markets of Ngaoundéré town and evaluate the antiadhesive activity of a biosurfactant derived from Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans N2 against selected pathogenic strains isolated in fresh beef. All fresh beef samples analysed were contaminated with both pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms at levels higher than the microbiological criteria set by the European Commission. A total of 151 strains belonging to 12 species (Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas sp., Escherichia coli 1, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Candida sp.) were isolated and identified. A specific relationship between the microbial diversity of fresh beef and the sampling sites was observed. Biosurfactant displayed antiadhesive activity against all the tested strains and the complete inhibition (100%) of Bacillus sp. BC1, S. aureus STP1, and S. xylosus STP2 was noticed at biosurfactant concentration of 10 mg/mL. This study indicates the microbial diversity of fresh beef sold in Ngaoundéré markets and suggests the potential use of biosurfactant as an antiadhesive agent in the meat industry

DataSheet1_Popular cleaning systems of bottles reused for traditional food packaging in the city of Yaoundé (Cameroon) and study of their prospective effectiveness on biofilms.PDF

This study was focused on the collecting and recycling systems of bottles reused for traditional food packaging in the city of Yaoundé and the presence of biofilms in these bottles. A cross-sectional study approved by the Institutional Review Board was conducted in 43 quarters randomly selected in Yaoundé using a semi-structured questionnaire. The target population was producers and street sellers of traditional foods who used recovered bottles for food packaging and had freely signed the informed consent clearance. Then, the recovered bottles cleaned by the participants and ready to be reused as traditional food packaging were sampled and screened for the presence of biofilms. The results showed that 84% of the 162 participants were women. Bottles reused for traditional food packaging were mainly collected from garbage (70.4%). A total of six different cleaning processes were identified from manufacturers of traditional food products. The cleaning processes were significantly (p < 0.05) dependent on the education level and varied from one manufacturer to another. Amongst the identified cleaning processes, those which included soaking and disinfection unit operations were more efficient in biofilms’ removal. Bottles cleaned according to these processes scored the lowest biofilms’ contents. Independently of the cleaning processes, biofilms were detected in all recovered bottles. This might suggest a potential health risk for consumers.</p