Original Article

Bacterial contamination of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli (Migula, 1895) in fresh chicken meat and chicken-based street food sold in the City of Mati

Authors:
Analou D. Dedal¹ , Bernadette J. Nanual^1,2, Glory P. Miranda¹, Angelika A. Placencia¹, Jeira Salvy A. Repe¹, and Queezel Mae M. Quiroga^1
1Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Davao Oriental State University
²Institute for Tropical Biodiversity (i-TREB), Davao Oriental State University

ABSTRACT

The increasing popularity of chicken-based street food among low-to-middle-income consumers in the City of Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines, raises serious health concerns due to the potential risk of foodborne illnesses. Despite rising poultry consumption, microbial assessment of street-vended chicken products is not routinely conducted, creating a significant knowledge gap in local food safety monitoring. This study aimed to determine the presence of Salmonella spp. in fresh chicken meat and isaw and Escherichia coli (Migula, 1895) in fried chicken, “isaw,” and “kwek-kwek” sold by randomly selected street vendors. Samples were collected using standard aseptic techniques. Salmonella Shigella agar and Eosin methylene blue (EMB) agar were used to identify the target bacteria. The most probable number (MPN) method, based on Department of Agriculture-National Meat Inspection Service (DA-NMIS) Circular No. 9-2008-5, was used to detect the presence of E. coli in fresh chicken meat. Total plate count (TPC) was used to detect the presence of Salmonella spp. in fresh chicken meat and isaw and to detect E. coli in fried chicken, “isaw,” and “kwek-kwek,” following standards set by DA-NMIS and the Department of Health-Food and Drugs Administration (DOH-FDA) Circular No. 2022-12-2. The results showed Salmonella spp. in all fresh chicken and “isaw” samples, exceeding the DA-NMIS absence requirement in 25 g. Escherichia coli in fresh chicken meat was within the 500 MPN g-1 limit. However, TPC values in fried chicken, “isaw,” and “kwek-kwek” exceeded the 100 CFU g-1 DOH-FDA limit. These findings revealed significant bacterial contamination in fresh chicken meat and popular chicken-based street foods, underscoring the urgent need for stronger implementation of regulation, regular microbial monitoring, and food safety education to support local public health efforts and guide future policy enhancement.

Keywords: bacterial load, food hygiene, food safety, health risk, microbial limit, street food

^{Available Online: 20 April 2026}

How to Cite:
Dedal AD, Nanual BJ, Miranda GP, Placencia AA, Repe JSA, Quiroga QMM. 2026. Bacterial contamination of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli (Migula, 1895) in fresh chicken meat and chicken-based street food sold in the City of Mati. The Palawan Scientist. 18(1): 42-150. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2026.18.1.15

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