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<OL> <LI> Identify risky food behaviors of limited resource consumers<LI> Characterize microbial contamination of home environments and packaged foods<LI> Develop targeted educational messages to address cross contamination and measure the impact of those messages on consumer practices<LI> Characterize food borne pathogens originating from meat goat and guinea fowl<LI> Characterize food borne pathogens originating from housing environments of meat goat and guinea fowl<LI> Communicate optimum management and handling practices for meat goat and guinea fowl to producers to minimize incidence of food borne pathogens.
Non-Technical Summary: Consumers are the least studied link in the food safety chain; however they represent the last critical control point against food borne illness. Most feel that it is unlikely that they would contract a food borne illness within their homes despite the fact that many cases of food borne illness likely result from such practices as cross contamination and poor temperature control in the home. Many of the microorganisms that cause food borne illnesses are ubiquitous in the environment. Consequently, contamination of food is possible at any step in the food chain. As the demand has increased for leaner meats, so has the demand increased for goat and guinea fowl meat. The goals of this project are to identify potential risk factors for food contamination at the consumer and producer level and to develop and communicate relevant remedial measures to minimize the exposure of limited resource and minority consumers to potential sources of food-borne illnesses. <P> Approach: Samples for microbial analysis will be collected from the interiors of refrigerators in homes of limited resource consumers. Packaged foods (meat, poultry, and fresh produce) will be purchased from local markets. The foods and the packages will be swabbed to measure microbial contamination. Total bacterial count and Enterobacteriacea count will be performed on each of the food samples. Species of Enterobacteriacea isolated from refrigerators and food samples will be identified using API 20 biochemical identification strips. Antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates will be analyzed to determine the susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobial agents using Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Test. In home food storage data will be analyzed to assess the potential for cross contamination in the home environment. Location of ready-to-eat foods and raw foods during transportation and storage, along with packaging and conditions during storage in the home, will be investigated. Risky behaviors of consumers will be identified. Targeted educational materials that address cross contamination and undesirable food handling behaviors will be developed and made available for distribution. Guinea fowl and meat goats will be raised using conventional practices. Environmental samples will be analyzed for microbial content. Animal carcasses will be prepared according to commercial standards. Carcass rinse will be used for microbial analyses. Salmonella and campylobacter profiles and microbial resistance will be assessed. Recommended management to reduce microbial contamination in alternative meat and poultry will be communicated to the end-users.