Microbiological Contamination of Raw Food in Malaysia – A Systematic Review

Abstract

Raw foods such as vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and fresh produce like ulam are commonly consumed across Malaysia and are gaining popularity due to cultural practices and media influences promoting raw foods like sushi and sashimi. These foods can easily be contaminated by bacteria that cause foodborne diseases. In Malaysia, several outbreaks of foodborne disease associated with microbiological contamination from the consumption of raw foods have been reported. However, despite multiple local studies, there is no consolidated evidence summarising the pathogens, raw food types, and detection methods in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review the microbiological contamination of raw foods in Malaysia, focusing on bacterial pathogens, detection methods and reported geographical regions.