Microbial Quality Assessment of Ready-to-Eat Street Foods Sold in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State

Street food vending is integral to urban food security in Nigeria, yet the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat street foods remains a persistent concern due to informal preparation and handling conditions. This study assesses the microbial quality of ready-to-eat street foods including fried rice, suya, akara, and moi-moi sold in three high-density markets in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, South West Nigeria. A total of 120 food samples were purchased from randomly selected vendors and transported in sterile containers for analysis within two hours. Standard methods including total aerobic plate count, total coliform count, and selective isolation on xylose lysine deoxycholate (XLD) and Baird-Parker agars were applied. Results show that 68 percent of samples exceeded the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods acceptable limits for aerobic plate count. Salmonella species were recovered from 12 percent of suya samples, and Staphylococcus aureus from 24 percent of akara samples. Coliforms were absent in only 21 percent of all samples. Environmental swabs from vendor utensils and hands showed concurrent contamination with identical organisms, confirming cross-contamination as a primary pathway. The study identifies inadequate handwashing, reuse of cooking oil, and absence of protective covering during sales as critical risk factors. Recommendations include vendor food safety training, municipal health inspections, and regulatory enforcement of street food hygiene standards in Ibadan. Keywords: street food, microbial quality, Salmonella, Ibadan, food safety