Microbial Contamination Of Vended Fruit

4.0 RESULTS

The results of the microbial contamination of the processed vended fruit samples collected from different fruit vendors in Abakpa Main market, Abakaliki are presented in the following tables.

Table 1 shows the result of the average microbial load of the vended fruit samples in Colony forming unit per ml (CFU ml-1). It reveals that tiger nuts has the highest average total aerobic plate count of 1.03×106, followed by watermelon (sliced), 1.0×106, while cucumber has the lowest. 3.5×105. Moreover, in the total fungal count, carrot was the highest of 1.42×106, followed by watermelon, 1.26×106. No significant growth was observed in tiger nuts. 

Table 2 shows the result of the morphological and biochemical characteristics of the microbial isolates from the ready-to-eat vended fruit samples. It reveals that a total of six (6) micro-organisms were isolated. Out of these isolates, five were bacterial isolates namely Salmonella sp., Pseudomonas sp., Escherichia coli, Shigella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and one fungal isolate, Mucor sp. all the bacterial isolates are rod-shaped and Gram negative except for Staphylococcus aureus that is cocci in shape and Gram positive. Moreover, all bacterial isolates are catalase positive while four bacterial isolates are coagulase positive except for Pseudomonas sp which is coagulase negative.

Figure 1 shows the percentage frequency of occurrence of the microbial isolates in the ready-to-eat vended fruit samples. It shows that Escherichia coli has the highest occurrence 5(83.33%), followed by Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Mucor sp with 4(66.7%) respectively.  Pseudomonas sp and Shigella sp has the least occurrence of 2(33.33%). 
 

Table 6

KEY: TNTC: Too Numerous To Count

NG: No growth

A, B, C, D = Sample code on Carrot

E, F, G, H = Sample code on Watermelon

I, J, K = Sample code on Pineapple

L, M, N = Sample code on Cucumber

O, P, Q = Sample code on Tiger nut

Table 7

Keys: CA= Catalase test

CO= Coagulase test

            OX= Oxidase test

            IND= Indole test

 + = Positive                                             

  ̶  = Negative

Figure 1