Evaluation of the quality and safety of Burdur şiş köfte: Physicochemical and microbiological perspective

This research was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and microbiological quality of raw and cooked Burdur şiş köfte collected from fast-food restaurants in Burdur, Türkiye. Results for physicochemical properties of raw Burdur şiş köfte samples were 5.84 pH, 58.53% moisture, 16.87% protein, 19.87% fat, 2.99% ash, 2.00% salt and 70.57 mg/100 g cholesterol, whereas, these values for cooked samples were 6.05, 61.85%, 22.88%, 11.10%, 3.13%, 2.11% and 72.65 mg/100 g, respectively. While the average counts (log CFU/g) of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total coliforms, yeasts-moulds, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus in raw Burdur şiş köfte samples were 5.73, 3.83, 3.09, 2.31 and <1.00, respectively, these counts in cooked Burdur şiş köfte samples were 1.80, <1.00, <1.00, 1.40 and <1.00, respectively. Moreover, Salmonella spp. was not detected in any of the Burdur şiş köfte samples. In conclusion, the present research revealed that the cooked Burdur şiş köfte sold in Burdur had acceptable hygienic quality and nutritional value. On the other hand, some raw Burdur şiş köfte samples were found to have insufficient hygienic quality, which may create a potential health risk to consumers. Therefore, necessary precautions should be taken to ensure hygienic processing, especially during the manufacture of raw Burdur şiş köfte.