European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

MICROBIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND SAFETY OF FRESH JUICES SOLD IN THE CENTRAL BUS STATION AT KHARTOUM STATE

Nagwa B. Elhag*, Remaz, M. Juma and El Rakha B. Babiker

ABSTRACT

Millions of people in developing countries especially in Sudan prefer to consume fresh juices. These types of juices are poorly prepared, handled and stored by street venders, hawkers and other food services under improper conditions. This may lead to disease outbreaks and other public health problems due to their possibility to transmit different diseases. Therefore this study was aimed to investigate the safety of fresh juices sold by vendors and hawkers. A total of 30 fresh juices of mango, guava, lemon, orange, fruit pulps including aradeib (Tamarindus indica), tabeldi (Adansonia digitata), gudeim (Grewia tenax), Shaeer or barely powder (Hordeum vulgare) and calyx of karkade (Hibiscus sabdariffa) were randomly collected from a central bus station at Khartoum for the investigation. The microbiological parameters studied were total viable bacterial count (TVBC), coliforms, yeasts and moulds using appropriate selective media. The TVBCs of all investigated samples exhibited counts in the range of 1.8x103 - 3.0x106cfu/ml. The count of total coliforms ranged from 3.4 to 1300MPN/ml. Yeasts were found in all samples in the range of 1.0x103- 2.26x104cfu/ml while moulds were found in 66.7% of the samples ranging from 0.00 to 9.0x103cfu/ml. The dominant bacterial isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus (19.6%), Bacillus cereus (13.1%), Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus cremoris (10.9%) each, E. coli (8.7%), Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus thermophiles, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Salmonella typhi (6.5%) each, Salmonella paratyphi and Staphylococcus epidermidis (4%) each and Salmonella orizonae (2%). Moulds genera were identified as Asperigillus sp. (45%), Rhizopus sp. (32%) and Penicillium sp. (23%). Fresh Sudanese juices obtained from fresh fruits and pulps offered for sale are highly contaminated with spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore they are considered as health threats for the consumers. Proper procedures, good manufacturing practices (GMP) and good hygienic practices (GHP) are recommended to improve the quality of fruit juices.

Keywords: Sudan, Fresh Fruit Juices, Pathogenic Microorganisms, Safety, Spoilage Microorganisms.