Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial quality of eggs produced by informal farms and sold in most Abidjan’s markets. Thus, a preliminary investigation was conducted to evaluate the frequency of eggs consumption by the population of the study area (Abidjan). After this investigation, an analysis of the eggs microbiological quality was performed both on the shell and the eatable (egg yolk) part. The eggs were categorized into two groups: i- eggs with shell covered with droppings and ii- eggs with shell not covered with droppings. Four samples of eggs were randomly taken in the same batch collected from 10 districts of Abidjan. Therefore, a total of 90 samples of each category were taken for microbial analyses. The classical method of enumeration in food bacteriology was used for the research of total aerobic mesophilic flora, Enterococcus, total and fecal coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, the golden Staphylococcus and sulphite-reducing anaerobic bacteria. The present study data show that the consummation of eggs varies according to the area. None of the eatable part contained the investigated bacteria. In general, bacterial counts were higher on shells covered with droppings. Total aerobic mesophilic counts of ~5x10⁷ CFU/g vs. 10⁵ CFU/g was observed on not covered samples. Similarly, Enterococci, Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus reached ~10⁴ CFU/g on shells covered with dropping, about 1 log higher than the values observed for non-covered shells. This study suggests that the contamination of the eggs by the investigated microbial parameter is mainly observed on the shell and not on the eatable part. Also, the highest contamination levels were observed in eggs with dropping on the shells.

Key words: Bacterial load, eggs, shell, market, dropping, Abidjan.