Pork meat is consumed in several forms base on the mode of cooking in Côte d'Ivoire. It is most often braised, grilled or cooked in soup. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of pork meat consumption in the diet of the Ivorian population. It also tried to assess the risks that consumers of this meat may incur in order to provide solutions through the implementation of good hygiene and manufacturing practices at the sites where this meat is sold. Thus, a consumption survey was conducted in the municipalities of Adjamé, Abobo and Yopougon. The enumeration of germs such as mesophilic aerobic germs, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and coliforms was carried out too. It appeared that out of the three hundred (300) interviewees were all familiar with pork meat and 99% consumed it. The majority of consumers was masculine and 98% had Ivorian nationality. Among consumers, 52% had had at least one discomfort after eating pork. Symptoms of these ailments were vomiting, diarrhea and stomach aches. In addition, microbiological analyses of commercial forms of pork meat have revealed pathogenic germs such as Staphylococcusaureus, coliforms and mesophilic aerobic germs. Loads of mesophilic aerobic germs, Staphylococcus aureus and fecal coliforms ranged respectively from (1.2 ± 0.07)1010 to (1.3 ± 0.6)1011 CFU/g; from (2 ± 0.7)105 to (3.1 ± 0.7)106 CFU/g and from (1.1 ± 0.6)104 to (1.7 ± 0.91)105 CFU/g. All samples contained microbial loads above the European Community (EC) Standards No 2073/2005 for ready-to-eat pork meat. Pork meat then poses a health risk to consumers.
Keywords: Consumers; Food microbiology; Food safety; Food science; Health risks; Microbiology.