Microbial Load and Safety of Cooked Rice and Fish Curry under Household Conditions

Food safety is a growing public health concern in Bangladesh, where many households and restaurants cook once daily and re-consume leftovers. Microbial contamination was assessed in cooked rice and fish curry stored at ambient (~30 °C) temperature for up to 24 h or under refrigeration (~4 °C) for up to 48 h, with and without reheating. At 6 h, both foods showed higher aerobic plate counts and presumptive B. cereus counts at ~30°C than at 4°C; under refrigeration, most counts remained < 103 cfu/g. By 12 h at ~30°C, APC exceeded 104 cfu/g and presumptive B. cereus increased substantially; presumptive E. coli and Salmonella spp. were first detected under ambient conditions but remained undetected or below 10 cfu/g under refrigeration. Reheating lowered counts but did not fully restore safety. Presumptive B. cereus slightly exceeded the study criterion by 6 h at ambient temperature, and refrigeration suppressed microbial growth at 12 h, but the maximum safe refrigerated-storage period could not be established because no measurements were taken between 12 and 24 h. Overall, the findings indicate increasing microbiological risk with prolonged storage, particularly at ambient temperature, and support prompt refrigeration and appropriate reheating rather than a fixed storage-time limit.