© All Rights Reserved *Corresponding author. Email: shafniabubakar@yahoo.com International Food Research Journal 24(1): 437-449 (February 2017) Journal homepage: http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my 2,4* Shafni, A.B., 1,2 Son, R., 3 Mahyudin, N.A., 2 Rukayadi, Y., and 4 Tuan Zainazor, T.C. 1 Food Safety and Food Integrity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia 34300 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Department of Food Service and Management, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 4 Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health, Menara Prisma, No.26, Jalan Pesiaran Perdana, Presint 3, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62675 Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Malaysia Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in chicken and beef from retail outlets in Malaysia Abstract The prevalence of Salmonella in chicken and beef sold in retails outlets in Malaysia was determined by analysing 312 raw beef and chicken meat samples including their processed products. Samples purchased from supermarkets, butcher shops and wet market, which being classifed into raw, minced and processed chicken and beef. A total of 86 (27.6%) samples were found positive for Salmonella spp., with chicken meat samples (40.4%) showed greater presence compared to beef (15.4%). Highest presence of Salmonella were detected from wet market samples (35.4%), followed by supermarket (26.9%) and butcher shop (21.3%). The prevalence of Salmonella were higher in unpacked chicken meat (84.8%), followed by unpacked beef (27.8%). Salmonella serovars were identifed as S. Enteritidis, S. Hadar, S. Dublin, S. Anatum, S. Stanley, S. Gallinarum, S. Choleraesuis and S. Typhimurium. Detection of 8 Salmonella serovars showed possibilities of cross contamination in various sources either at slaughtering house, processing plant or until storage at retails level. Improper cooking method on meats and hygiene practices prior to consume should be avoided in order to ensure food safety before ingestion. Introduction Salmonella remains signifcantly high as food borne pathogens compared to others and has not being declined for over a decade. Salmonella poses as a leading cause of foodborne diseases in few countries, sometimes contributing to the highest morbidity and mortality rates among foodborne pathogens (CDC, 2009). Most of the Salmonella spp. associated to humans and other mammals’ diseases are from S. enterica subsp. enterica with S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium were responsible for most of the infections (Dunkley et al., 2009). Other Salmonella serovars are zoonotic or potentially zoonotic, while some usually found in the environment such as Salmonella bongori, Salmonella enterica subsp. salamae, Salmonella enterica subsp. arizonae, Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae, Salmonella enterica subsp. houtenae and Salmonella enterica subsp. indica are occasionally associated with human disease (WHO, 2003; Matheson et al., 2010; Das et al., 2012). Various food products have been depicted as transporting agent against infection by Salmonella to humans, including beef, poultry, pork, eggs and seafood. Salmonella is also persistent pathogen that capable of surviving and proliferating in a variety of environmental conditions including food production and processing plant (Mezal et al., 2013). According to El-Aziz (2013), Salmonella contamination in beef and chicken can occur at several stages along food supply chain includes productions, processing, distribution, retailing and also preparing and handling by consumers. The persistence of Salmonella in premises may include resistance of the specifc strains to the disinfection, desiccation and also bioflm production (Vestby et al., 2009). Foodborne illness worldwide is often related with the consumption of meat and poultry products contaminated with pathogenic microorganism mainly from retail level (Vindigni et al., 2007). The microbiology quality of chicken and beef sold Keywords Salmonella Retail Beef Chicken Package Article history Received: 9 September 2016 Received in revised form: 4 November 2016 Accepted: 5 November 2016