Food Safety Assessment of Food Court Stall and Identification of Vibrio Cholerae From Blood Cockle (Anadara Gradosa) in Pasar Ikan Muara Baru

Abstract

The richness of Indonesia's marine resources leads to many seafood types to be cultivated, such as blood cockles. One famous area to consume seafood directly after being bought in Jakarta is Pasar Ikan Muara Baru. Blood cockles have a high risk of foodborne illness due to their ability to accumulate bacteria from the water, such as Vibrio cholerae, which responsible for numerous outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, this study aims to assess the food safety application in the food court stalls and identify Vibrio cholerae in raw and cooked blood cockles sold in Pasar Ikan Muara Baru following the specifications presented by BPOM. TCBS agar was used to determine the food safety of the seafood. Colonies were screened based on known characteristics of V. cholerae grew on TCBS and their salt tolerance levels. Furthermore, the colonies were identified by using the API20E biochemical test. The results showed successful isolation of bacteria from raw and cooked blood cockles sold in Pasar Ikan Muara Baru, including the V. cholerae. The cooking process of the Pasar Ikan Muara Baru food court showed inconsistency in the removal of bacteria from the raw samples, with one food court stall failed to eliminate the bacteria after the cooking process. V. cholerae was also found in this cooked dish. Improper storage, improper cooking and cross-contamination could become the cause of bacterial presence in food. This shows the need to educate and improve seafood handling in the market.