Contamination of ready-to-eat foods sold by street vendors and restaurant premises rendering them
unacceptable for human consumption has become a global health problem. This study aimed to examine
the quality and safety of liver and kofta sandwiches in Tanta city. 140 samples were analyzed including
liver and kofta sandwiches with their ingredients (fried liver, grilled kofta, bread and salad). The mean
total aerobic plate count, coliform count, staphylococci count, fungal count, proteolytic and lipolytic
count in all liver sandwich samples ranged from 3.73 to 5.99, 1.84 to 3, 2.36 to 2.76, 2.26 to 3.31, 2.61
to 4.60 and 2.56 to 3.70 log. cfu/g. respectively; and in kofta sandwich samples, they ranged from 4.26
to 6.26, 2.51 to 4.59, 2.42 to 4.19, 2.46 to 3.35, 3.24 to 5.61 and 2.53 to 4.98 log. cfu/g. respectively.
Based on the microbiological Guidelines for Ready-to-eat Food by Centre for Food Safety, the level of
contaminations was within acceptable microbiological limits for 80% of liver sandwiches; while
approximately half of kofta sandwiches were of unsatisfactory microbiological quality due to high APC.
The presence of E. coli in some RTE samples concluded that street foods are highly unsafe and unfit for
human consumption. It was recommended that the generally acceptable microbial guideline value for
APC of RTE foods set at