Microbial Contamination Of Vended Fruit

1.0                             INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of study
Fresh fruits are an important part of modern day diet in many parts of the world as they are rich source of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and other naturally occurring phytochemicals which are of health and therapeutic benefit (Little and Metchell, 2004). For their nutritive value, man has been utilizing fresh fruits for the production of varieties of consumables like juices, jams, beverages, wines and/or eaten directly as food (Angela et al., 2010). Ready-to-eat fruits are fruits that can be bought directly from street vendors or hawkers or at local markets and eaten immediately i.e. without necessarily having to cut, peel or rinse them before consumption as they have already been prepared by the vendors. In many tropical countries, fruits are the common man’s food and are sold mostly in public places and roadside shops.

There have been reports of food borne illnesses associated with consumption of fruits vended in the open market with little or no hygienic consideration.(Chumber et. al., 2007) Food-borne diseases mainly affect the gastro-intestinal tracts and may be transmitted through the consumption of contaminated fruits (Ambekar et. al., 2008). Contamination of fruits may result from bacterial pathogens at any point during the production process. Also, use of unhygienic water for washing, prolong preservation, unhygienic surrounding often with swarming houseflies, and air-borne dust can also act as source of contamination (Ambekar et. al., 2008).  Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the consumption of sliced/ ready-to-eat fruits in Nigeria, because they are easily accessible, convenient, and most importantly, cheaper than whole fruits.  

Averagely in Nigeria, to have a feel of a good meal taken along side some fruits costs up to One Thousand Naira (N1000) about three Dollars ($3) at least on fruits alone if one is to purchase whole fruit that is not cut to sizes. This is in a country with majority leaving on less than $2 per day. Economic factors are therefore the major reasons why people have succumbed to consuming the already cut or sliced fruits (Nielsen, 2006).  The increased consumption, coupled with the associated risk of disease to which consumers may be exposed, is a matter of great concern. It is difficult for one to attest to the hygiene of the processors or to the sanitary conditions at points of preparation. Moreover, the case is worsened by the fact that sliced fruit street vending is done without adequate storage conditions, thereby exposing the sliced fruits to flies and other disease-causing agents. 

The sliced/peeled fruits are processed and sold by unlicensed vendors with poor education levels and untrained in food hygiene. The consumption of sliced/peeled fruits may thus potentially increase the risk of food-borne diseases caused by a wide variety of pathogens. There are different sources of microbial invasion of sliced vended products. Pathogens may invade the interior surfaces of the produce during washing, peeling, and slicing, trimming, packaging, handling and marketing. The use of dirty utensils, as well as the open display of street food produce encourages sporadic visits by flies, cockroaches, other insects, and dust. Holding of sliced fruits that requires no further processing before consumption at ambient temperatures during retail maintains the produce at optimum temperatures for proliferation/invasion by pathogenic mesophiles (Edema et. al., 2008).

Bacteria like Salmonella species, Shigella species, Campylobacter species and Escherichia coli can contaminate sliced fruits through contact with sewage and contaminated water. Fruits have been associated with outbreaks of food-borne disease in many countries; organisms involved include bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. There has been an implication of Norovirus in fruit salad (Kaplan and Campbell, 1982) Outbreaks of salmonellosis have been associated with the consumption of cut watermelon in some part of the world. The major micro-flora found on guava and orange includes fungi, bacteria and yeast. Such fruits are sources of bacterial pathogens notably Escherichia coli, species of Salmonella, Shigella and Staphylococcus aureus (Joy et. al., 2006).  

The presence of coliform on surfaces of fruits is an indicative of faecal contamination (Reddy and Reddy 2000). Improperly prepared fruits are recognized as an emerging cause of food illness (Sandeep, 2004).  
Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Vibrio cholera and Staphylococcus aureus are common causes of food-borne infection throughout the world (Chomvarin, 1993). Guava and orange which are largely consumed in this part of the country are sold under poor hygienic conditions in the market, roadside and hawkers with flies all over the place. 

This can certainly increase the rate of microbial contamination. Thus, the presence of these microorganisms on fruit is dangerous for human consumption (Salle, 2000). Pathogens of main concern of fresh fruits are Salmonella, Shigella and gastro intestinal viruses and that man is the main source of Shigella, E.coli and Streptococcus while contaminants from the environment include Staphylococcus, Clostridia, Bacillus and yeast (Ekperigin and Nagaraja, 1998). Up to 80% and 40% of food poisoning cases were due to Salmonella in England and United State respectively. Food borne illnesses could occur as a result of food intoxication or food infection when contaminated food is consumed. 

1.2 AIM OF THIS STUDY
The aim of this research work is to access the microbial contamination of vended ready – to –eat fresh fruits in Abakpa main market Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY
To achieve the aim of this study, the following were carried out:
1.    Determination of total aerobic bacteria and fungi counts from fresh fruits samples examined.
2.    Isolation and identification of bacteria and fungi from fresh fruit samples examined.
3.    Determination of the percentage frequency of occurrence of the bacterial and fungal isolates from fresh fruit samples examined.