Microbiological Quality of Kachumbari, a Raw Vegetable Salad Popularly Served Alongside Roast Meat in Kenya

Table 1

Level of contamination by hygiene indicator microorganisms in raw vegetables salads served by roast meat eateries.

Hygiene indicator microorganisms	CFU/g (interpretation)	% of samples ()	Samples’ pH interval
Beta-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli	<20 (satisfactory)	14 (35.9%)	3.95–4.53
	20 – ≤10^2 (borderline)	7 (17.9%)	3.89–4.81
	>10^2 (unsatisfactory)	18 (46.2%)	3.45–4.62
Staphylococcus aureus and other coagulase-positive staphylococci	<20 (satisfactory)	0%
	20 – ≤10^4 (borderline)	39 (100%)
	>10^4 (unsatisfactory)	0%

Satisfactory: suitable for human consumption; borderline: moderate microbiological risk; unsatisfactory: unsuitable for human consumption as per the Health Protection Agency Guidelines for Assessing the Microbiological Safety of Ready-to-Eat Food [25].