Introduction:
Mealie meal is a staple diet in the Lusaka district of Zambia. Bacteria associated with commercially prepared mealie meal could be spoilage or pathogenic bacteria. Thus bacterial contamination could result from packaged maize flours purchased from food stores.
Material and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out from December 2019 - March 2020 for spoilage and pathogenic bacteria associated with mealie meals bought from a selected retail outlet in the Lusaka district. We performed cell culture for the Mealie Meal Samples collected at five study zones in Lusaka district viz: South, Central, East, West, and North. Food stores in each zone were further stratified into sampling units of interest: mall, shop, and street food vendor.
Results:
Preliminary laboratory findings revealed the following: Spoilage Bacteria - Candida Species, Clostridium Species, and Bacillus Species; Pathogenic Bacteria Species-Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium tetani, Bacillus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Yersinia pestis.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it can be established from the aforementioned laboratory results that food-borne infections could evolve from bacteria associated with commercially prepared mealie meals bought from food stores in the Lusaka district of Zambia.