MICROBIAL ASSESSMENT OF FRIED FISHBALLS AT

WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Special Problem
Presented to
Dr. Jeannemar Genevieve Yap-Figueras
For the Course Food Microbiology

Group 5
Connie Durana
John Michael Guay
Pamela Jardeleza
Jacinth Legario
Ave Grace Lentija
Joanne Pauline Navallasca

October, 2015

Chapter 1
Introduction of the Study
Chapter One, consists of the following parts: (1) Background
of the Study and Theoretical Framework, (2) Statement of the
Problem and Hypothesis, (3) Research Paradigm, (4) Significance
of the Study, and (5) Delimitation of the Study.
Part One, Background of the Study introduces the topic to
the readers and justification as to why the study was chosen.
Theoretical Framework, tells about the basis for identifying the
context of the study, for objectives, and parameters.
Part Two, Statement of the Problem, states the purpose of
the study.
Part Three, Research Paradigm; it is about the
identification of independent and dependent variables and
specific parameters used for obtaining the data.
Part Four, Significance of the Study, tells the importance
of the study and the benefits obtained and the people who will be
benefited.
Part Five, Delimitation of the Study, describes the limits
of your study and justification of the limits.

Background of the Study

Street foods are ready-to-eat foods and beverages prepared
and/or sold by vendors and hawkers especially in streets and
other similar public places (FAO, 1989). The central
characteristic of street foods in this definition is their retail
location, that is, on the street." To differentiate street food
vendors from formal sector food establishments, such as
restaurants, the Equity Policy Center (EPOC) adds the further
qualification that street foods are sold on the street from
"pushcarts or baskets or balance poles, or from stalls or shops
having fewer than four permanent walls" (Tinker, 1987).
According to Abdussalam and Kaferstein (1993), the potential
for the contamination of street foods with pathogenic microorganisms has been well documented and several outbreaks of
disease, including cholera outbreaks, have been traced to
consumption of contaminated street foods.
The risk of contamination varies greatly with the type of
street food and how the food is prepared. Generally, cereal and
bakery products with low moisture content, products that have
been adequately sugared, salted, or acidulated, and some
fermented products support bacterial growth less readily than
dairy, egg, and meat products. Foods that are cooked immediately
prior to consumption are safer than those which have been cooked
and stored at ambient temperature (WHO, 1992).

Other factors implicated in causing microbial contamination

include poor food preparation and handling practices, inadequate
storage facilities, the personal hygiene of vendors, and a lack
of adequate sanitation and refuse disposal facilities
(Abdussalam&Kaferstein, 1993).
In a study conducted by Manguiat& Fang (2013), Escherichia
coli and Staphylococcus aureus were present in street food
samples from Laguna and were found to be unsatisfactory for human
consumption. The samples were categorized as either hot-grilled'
and 'cold cooked/fried' food types and from the two, 'hot
grilled' foods generally showed better microbiological quality.
Food preparation, cooking, and food handling practices were
considered to be contributors to the unacceptable microbiological
quality of the street foods. Hence, providing training on food
hygiene for the street vendors should result in the improvement
of the microbiological quality of street foods.
One of the most popular street foods in the Philippines is
fish ball or bola-bola.

It is somewhat flat in shape and most

often made from cuttlefish orpollock and served with a sweet and
spicy sauce or with a thick, black, sweet and sour sauce.
Fish balls in the Philippines are sold by street vendors
pushing wooden deep-frying carts. The balls are served skewered,
offered with three kinds of dipping sauces: spicy (white/orange
coloured) vinegar, water, diced onions and garlic; sweet (brown

gravy coloured) corn starch, banana ketchup, sugar and salt;

and sweet/sour (amber or deeper orange coloured) the sweet
variety with lots of small hot chili added.
People who depend on such food (street foods, in general)
are often more interested in its convenience than in questions of
its safety, quality and hygiene. However, the World
HealthOrganization (WHO) undertook a survey in over 100 countries
to assess the situation with regard to street-vended foods. The
survey noted that majority of countries reported contamination of
food that contributes to food-borne disease (Donkor, 2009;
Bhowmik, 2005).

Conceptual Framework
One of the frequent problems in the sale of street foods is
their actual and potential hazard caused by bacterial
contamination (Muoz de Chvez et al., 2000). The Caribbean
Epidemiology Centre (CAREC, 2002) reported that there were 2597
reported cases of foodborne illness in 2000 and 1905 cases in
2001. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta has
estimated that about one-third of the inhabitants in the United
States acquire a food borne disease annually (Griffiths, 2002).
A rise in notified cases of food poisoning has occurred
across most of Europe and North America; in particular, in the

incidence of microbial food poisoning of animal origin (Miles et

al., 1999). Over 2 million cases of foodborne diseases occur in
Canada each year, many of the cases consist of mild symptoms and
are often mistaken for the 'stomach flu' (Halton Regional Health
Department, 2001).
Based on the study conducted by Manguiat& Fang (2013),
Philippine street foods are susceptible to microbial
contamination which may cause various diseases to consumers. Fish
balls, being a highly popular form of street food, should be
ensured to be safe for consumption. Fish ball stalls, could be
found mainly outside schools, marketplaces, workspaces, and other
destinations such as outside churches and parks. Their
iniquitousness in the urban areas has made them a concern due to
their potential as carrier of foodborne pathogens.

Independent Variable

Dependent Variables
E. coli MPN/g

5 Samples of
fried fishballs

S. aureuscfu/g

Aerobic Plate
Count cfu/g

Figure 1.Research paradigm showing the relationships between

the variables.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to perform a microbial assessment of fish
balls being sold at West Visayas State University.
1.
2.
3.
4.

What are the microbes present in the sample?

What are the population counts of the microbes present?
Are the microbial populations present significant?
Are the samples unfit for human consumption?
Significance of the Study
The microbial assessment of fish balls will help enlighten

the consumers into food safety. With street foods being very
popular to many Filipinos, this study will guide them into
discerning cautiously in choosing their food. This will raise
awareness among consumers to be skeptical in the food that they
are buying on the streets.
This will also raise the concern of proper food preparation
and sanitation among street food vendors. The results of this
study may also become a basis for the government for creating
regulations that may help improve street food preparationand
vending processes.