The Relationship Between the Level of Sanitary Hygiene Knowledge and the Presence and Total Bacteria of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi in Iced tea Drinks in Sambirejo Village ​​

Abstract

Tea was an essential part of Indonesian culture, irrespective of social status. However, iced tea has the potential to cause foodborne diseases due to contamination by pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. This contamination is influenced by the personal hygiene of food handlers, which depends on their level of hygiene and sanitation knowledge. This study aims to analyse the relationship between hygiene and sanitation knowledge and the presence and total count of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi in iced tea in Sambirejo Village. This research was an analytical observational study with a crosssectional approach, conducted on 12 iced tea samples from street vendors. Data on hygiene and sanitation knowledge were collected through questionnaires, while iced tea samples were tested using the spread plate method and analysed using the Chi-square test. The respondents’ characteristics showed that the majority of vendors were aged between 26 and 35 years (41.6%), female (83.3%), had completed secondary education and Senior High School (75%), and had been selling iced tea for ≤5 years (58.3%). In this study, 11 out of 12 iced tea samples tested positive for Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi contamination. Bivariate analysis indicated no significant relationship between the level of hygiene and sanitation knowledge and the presence or total count of Escherichia coli (p-value = 0.546) and Salmonella typhi (p-value = 0.070). Most iced tea vendors in Sambirejo Village were aged between 26 and 35 years (41.6%), female (83.3%), had completed secondary education and Senior High School (75%), and had been selling iced tea for ≤5 years (58.3%). The majority had a good level of hygiene and sanitation knowledge (75%). The 11 samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. There was no significant relationship between the level of hygiene and sanitation knowledge and the presence or total bacterial count in iced tea.

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