Bacterial Contamination on Beef Sold at Selected Wet Markets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur

Beef is one of the essential sources of protein in human diet. But retail beef are easily contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and can cause foodborne disease. To determine the bacterial contamination, 45 samples of retail beef including imported beef (n = 24) and local beef (n = 21) were collected from selected wet markets at every district in Selangor. Samples were analyzed for total viable counts (TVC), Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae and the incidence of pathogenic bacteria which are Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157-H7. Overall results showed that all beef samples (n = 45) were positive for TVC and Enterobacteriaceae at an average reading of (mean ± SD) 7.05±0.78 log CFU/g and 5.05±0.87 log CFU/g, respectively. Only 53.3% of the total samples were contaminated with E. coli (4.22±0.60 log CFU/g) whereas only 24.4% of total samples were found to be positive with Salmonella spp. All bacterial count readings fall under the marginal category based on the international standards. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in microbial counts between the local and imported beef samples for all parameters. Among the E. coli isolates detected from the beef samples, 3 isolates were identified as E. coli O157-H7. In conclusion, meat safety level for the retail beef sold at wet markets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur is low and requires more attention from the authorities to ensure its microbiological safety for consumers.