TOTAL PLATE COUNT OF BACTERIA ON FOOD CONTAINER BOXES IN THE NUTRITION INSTALLATION OF A HOSPITAL IN GORONTALO
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47918/tmfv1d75Keywords:
Total Plate Count; bacterial contamination; food container hygiene; hospital food safety; food-contact surfacesAbstract
Food container hygiene is an important component of hospital food safety because contaminated food-contact surfaces may contribute to microbial transmission during food preparation and distribution. This study aimed to determine the Total Plate Count (TPC) of bacteria on food container boxes used in the Nutrition Installation of a hospital in Gorontalo. A quantitative descriptive design was employed, involving 15 food container boxes used for patient meals. Samples were collected aseptically and examined microbiologically using Nutrient Agar (NA) media, followed by bacterial enumeration using the Total Plate Count method. The results showed detectable bacterial growth on all examined food container boxes, with bacterial counts ranging from 0.0013 to 0.0048 CFU/cm². The lowest bacterial count was observed in sample C, while the highest was recorded in sample O. All bacterial counts were below the maximum reference limit of ≤1 × 10⁴ CFU/cm² applied in this study based on SNI 7388:2009 and PerBPOM No. 13 of 2019. These findings indicate that although viable bacteria were detected on all examined food container boxes, their bacterial loads remained within the applicable microbiological reference limit. The study highlights the importance of maintaining routine cleaning, disinfection, hygienic handling, and periodic microbiological monitoring of food container boxes to support food safety and sanitation in hospital nutrition services.
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