ASSESSMENT OF BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION IN CHICKEN MEAT SHAWARMA INERBIL CITY AND ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF ZnO–CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES
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Chicken meat shawarma, bacterial contamination, ZNO and Chitosan nanoparticles, Antimicrobial Activity, Food safety.
Abstract
This study investigated the microbiological safety of chicken shawarma sold in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, by considering its contamination level and studying the antibacterial action of ZnO-chitosan nanoparticles. Thirty chicken shawarma samples were collected and screened for bacterial contamination using standard microbiological methods. It was revealed that 70% of the samples had high total viable counts. Salmonella (26%), Escherichia coli O157 (16.6%), and some coliforms (10%), as well as Klebsiella (10%), Proteus (6.6%), and Staphylococcus aureus (6.6%) were also isolated, indicating that the sample had poor hygiene and the associated practices were unsafe. It was observed that ZnO-chitosan nanoparticles showed remarkable inhibition zones against all the bacteria tested, with the highest zones at 10 mg/mL. These results raise serious concerns about the public’s health concerning chicken shawarma and suggest that natural antimicrobial nanocomposites could be effective as preservatives for enhancing shelf life and food safety.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zhelan Abdulrahman Ahmed, and Khalid Ismail Aziz
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