Impact of the Production Process and Microbiological Quality of Kanda, Dawanke, and Sarkima Sold Around Certain Schools in the City of N’Djamena

Abdoullahi Hissein Ousman^{1, 2,} , Bougma Sanogo³, Dieni Ibonye³, Abakar Mahamat Choukou^{1, 2}, Tapsoba François³, Savadogo Aly³ and Abdelsalam Tidjani¹

¹Food Science and Nutrition Research Laboratory (LaRSAN), Department of Human Health Sciences, University of N’Djamena, N’Djamena, Chad

²Research Laboratory in Applied Biology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology (LaBioMA), Department of Science and Technology, University of Doba, Doba, Chad

³Laboratory of Applied Biochemistry and Immunology (LaBIA), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Cite this paper:
Abdoullahi Hissein Ousman, Bougma Sanogo, Dieni Ibonye, Abakar Mahamat Choukou, Tapsoba François, Savadogo Aly and Abdelsalam Tidjani. Impact of the Production Process and Microbiological Quality of Kanda, Dawanke, and Sarkima Sold Around Certain Schools in the City of N’Djamena. American Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2026; 14(5):176-185. doi: 10.12691/ajfst-14-5-3

Abstract

Street food is becoming increasingly popular in developing countries, particularly around educational institutions. In Chad, this type of food service is not sufficiently regulated, which often leads to infections in children with disastrous consequences. This study aimed to evaluate the preparation processes and microbiological quality of three traditional foods (Kanda, Sarkima, and Dawanke) sold around educational institutions. The production processes were evaluated through a production-monitoring survey of producers. The total flora, the total coliforms, the fecal coliforms, the staphylococci, and Salmonella were counted using standard methods. The evaluation of production processes for Kanda, Sarkima, and Dawanke showed that, overall, the essential steps of agri-food production are being followed. Microbiological analyses showed that 60.74% of samples were satisfactory for total flora, while 39.26% were acceptable. About fecal coliforms, 78.52% of the samples were satisfactory, 6.67% of the samples were acceptable, and only 14.81% of the samples were unsatisfactory. No samples were contaminated with Salmonella, while all samples were unsatisfactory in terms of staphylococci. The evaluation of production processes shows that, overall, the essential stages of agri-food production are being followed. The low microbial loads are due to high cooking temperatures. Most of the microorganisms found in certain samples are likely linked to post-cooking handling, which remains dominated by numerous exclusively manual operations. These results highlight the need for improvement to protect consumers, who are mainly schoolchildren. Although some samples showed microbial loads well above recommended limits, satisfaction rates regarding the microbiological quality of Kanda, Sarkima, and Dawanke were notably high. However, optimizing hygiene practices during preparation remains necessary.

Keywords:
Street food Production process Hygiene Microbiology Quality Chad

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