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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Microbiological assessment of raw beef sold in makeshift butcher's shops in Lome
SONCY Kouassi, GOKA Mawuena Gott’liebe, EKLOU Mamy, WELA Magnoudéwa, AMEYAPOH Yaovi
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 267-272
Received on: 04/11/2025
Revised on: 13/12/2025
Accepted on: 06/01/2026
Published on: 31/01/2026
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SONCY Kouassi, GOKA Mawuena Gott’liebe, EKLOU Mamy, WELA Magnoudéwa, AMEYAPOH Yaovi ( 2026).
Microbiological assessment of raw beef sold in makeshift butcher's shops in Lome
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 1), 267-272.
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Abstract
For several years, the slaughterhouse in Lome has become dilapidated and very unsanitary. The carcasses that come out of this slaughterhouse are only subjected to superficial visual inspection. In addition, the places where raw beef is sold are set up in an anarchic makeshift, butcher shops established along the streets, exposing meat to multiple sources of contamination. This study was conducted to assess the bacteriological quality of fresh raw beef sold in Lome. A total of sixty (60) fresh raw beef samples were randomly collected from 20 shops in 13 areas in two communes in Lome. The samples were analysed using the AFNOR routine method. Based on microbiological criteria, only two samples met the required standard for E. coli and 34 for Salmonella. All samples failed to meet the required standard for S. aureus and sulfite-reducing anaerobes. The transport and sale of meat carcasses take place under inadequate hygiene conditions. Wooden tables and cutting boards, the presence of flies, and dust accumulation on the meat are significant risk factors for contamination at the point of sale. The presence of these pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms (E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, sulfite-reducing anaerobes, and salmonella) in raw beef indicates poor hygienic practices during slaughtering, transport, handling, and marketing. These findings highlight a significant public health risk associated with the consumption of unregulated street-vended meat and underscore the urgent need to improve hygiene and food safety standards in the red meat sector in Lome.
Keywords
Raw meat, Public health hazard, Food safety, Intoxication, Lome.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
