en تخصصي Special Original article Original article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height:115%"><strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">Background</span></span></strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">: Street foods offer convenient meal options for the consumer, but pose safety concerns if not handled or served with proper hygiene. The purpose of the present study was the microbial evaluation of street vended <em>Vada pav</em> samples sold at popular locations in Anand city using the conventional culture technique and molecular characterization via Polymerase Chain Reaction.</span></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">Methods:</span></span></strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%"> Duplicate samples were collected from seven different locations (n=14) across five zones: East (2), West (1), North (1), South (1), and Central (2) during June 2023. <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, <em>Bacillus cereus</em>, <em>Escherichia coli</em>, and <em>Salmonella</em> spp. were isolated and identified. For the microbial screening, bacterial enumeration, colony morphology, Gram&#39;s reaction, and biochemical characterization were performed. Amplification of <em>nuc</em> (<em>S. aureus</em>)<em>, nheA </em>(<em>B. cereus</em>)<em>, phoA </em>(<em>E. coli</em>)<em>,</em> and 16S rRNA (<em>Salmonella</em> spp.) genes were carried out via Polymerase Chain Reaction assay.&nbsp;</span></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">Results</span></span></strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">: Total Viable Count (TVC) ranged from 3.93 to 6.08 log Colony Forming Units (CFU)/g while the Yeast and Mold Counts ranged from 2.30 to 4.28 log CFU/g. Using the conventional culture technique, the prevalence of <em>S. aureus</em>, <em>B. cereus</em>, and <em>E. coli</em> were found to be 3/14, 2/14, and 3/14, respectively; whereas based on molecular characterization, the prevalence was 0/14, 2/14, and 3/14, respectively. <em>Salmonella </em>spp. was not detected in any of the samples.</span></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%">Conclusion:</span></span></strong><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="line-height:115%"> The study indicates a potential health hazard for consumers due to microbial contamination of street vended <em>Vada pav</em> samples. Consequently, it is crucial to regulate and improve hygienic practices in street food vendors.</span></span><br> <br> <b><span lang="SK"><span style="line-height:115%">DOI:</span></span></b><span lang="SK"><span style="line-height:115%"> 10.18502/jfqhc.11.4.17446</span></span></span></span></span></div> Molecular Typing, Staphylococcus aureus, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Food Safety, India 280 290 http://jfqhc.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1721-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 D.P. Mall 0009-0001-1294-2084 No Post Graduate Department of Home Science, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388120, Gujarat, India V.H. Patel patelvh2004@yahoo.co.in 0000-0003-4080-7899 Yes Post Graduate Department of Home Science, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388120, Gujarat, India R. Subhash No Post Graduate Department of Home Science, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388120, Gujarat, India