Meat safety issue is among the public health concerns associated with microbial pathogens.
Contaminated meat can cause food-borne illnesses that can lead to serious medical conditions. In
the local wet market setting in the Philippines, several common unhygienic practices may be
observed. In this study, 75 pork meat samples (3 batches of 25 each) from 25 stalls were taken from
a representative public wet market in Cebu, Philippines. Collected samples were subjected to
microbial aerobic plate counts and Escherichia coli detection methods. Profile of meat vendors was
also recorded. Obtained samples were subjected to microbiological assaying, starting from the nonselective
bacterial growing to the selective E. coli media, and finally to the confirmatory chemical
analysis of isolated organism for definitive E. coli identification. Results showed that the collected
samples had high microbial plate count 1.1 x 108 to >5.9 x 108 cfu/g) exceeded the current limit (1 x
106
cfu/g) set by the National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS) of the Philippines. A total of 41
(55%) samples were found positive with E. coli, but the samples had a most probable number
(MPN) value (