Ravindra Zende^1,, Vilas Vaidya¹, Aishwarya Nair¹, V.H. Shukla¹, Mahendra Pal², Nidhi Panicker¹, Aparna Shirke¹, Suren Tambe¹

Foods of animal origin are an extremely important source of protein to the public in developing countries. However, the safety and quality of meat can be severely compromised by microbial contamination. Moreover, the presence of antibiotic residues in meat poses a significant public health concern due to its effects on human health through direct or indirect consumption. This study investigates the prevalence of pathogenic microbes in raw buffalo meat and evaluates their antibiogram profiles to ensure meat safety. A total of 250 raw buffalo meat samples were collected from the slaughterhouses in Mumbai region. The samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for detection of common foodborne pathogens, including Bacillus spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas spp. The most prevalent pathogen in buffalo meat was found to be Staphylococcus aureus (26.00 %), followed by Salmonella spp. (18.40 %), E. coli (11.2 %) and Bacillus cereus (16.40 %), while Pseudomonas spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were absent in the samples. The bacterial isolates were further subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method and the antibiogram revealed varying resistance profiles (MAR index > 0.2) with significant resistance observed against conventionally used antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, amikacin, cefotaxim, co-trimaxole and gentamicin. The current study emphasizes on the need for implementation of stringent hygiene practices and effective collaboration to implement antimicrobial stewardship in meat production and processing industry. The study concluded that the importance of regular monitoring and implementation of corrective measures to enhance food safety and safeguard consumer health.

Antibiogram, Buffalo meat, Food safety, MAR index, Pathogens, Public Health