Microbiological Quality Assessment of Mutton in the Saaba District in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Abstract

Introduction: This study was carried out to assess the quality of sheep meat sold to consumers in Saaba municipality. Methods: A preliminary survey consisted of assessing hygiene and sampling meat in butchers’ stores. To achieve this, 100 sales outlets were surveyed for their hygiene conditions. 25 mutton meat samples were sampled in the three villages in Saaba district and analyzed using conventional microbiological techniques. The analysis consisted of determining the microbiological characteristics. Results: According to the results of this study, 100% of the butchers surveyed were men of the region. Among these men, 13% had secondary education, 46% had primary education and 41% were illiterate. Of the 100 retail outlets visited, 96% of the sellers were unaware of the hygiene rules and the dangers of microorganisms. The microbiological analysis of the samples revealed that 100% of the meat was of unsatisfactory microbiological quality. The average contamination rate by total aerobic mesophilic flora, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and yeasts and molds was 8.93 × 10 6 , 3.12 × 10 5 , 3.69 × 10 6 , and 6.74 × 10 3 CFU/g respectively. No Salmonella strain was detected in any of the samples analyzed. Conclusion: Our results pointed out the unsatisfactory safety quality of the sheep meat sold in the sheep meat and good hygiene practices.