Pages: (6-13 )
Abstract
Beverages are food grade liquids commonly processed from plants or animal sources, and they constitute a major diet in African households. The aim of this study was to determine the bacteriological safety of selected locally processed beverages vended within a tertiary institution in Ilishan Remo, Ogun State. Twenty-two beverage samples comprising of Hibiscus sabdariffa drink (zobo; n=8), ginger drink (n=7) and kunu zaki (n=7) were purchased from different sales points on the campus of a tertiary institution in Ogun state. Bacterial contaminants in the samples were isolated on a set of bacteriological agar and potential pathogenic species were presumptively identified using the selective-differential media approach. A total of 57 enterobacteriaceae isolates were obtained from the samples and identified as Escherichia coli (n=29) and Klebsiella spp. (n=28) The presence of these enterobacteriaceae reveals the potential food safety risks associated with the consumption of the poorly processed and handled beverages. Large scale surveillance studies are thus imperative for these widely consumed locally processed beverages. The processors of these beverages require urgent food processing and personal hygiene training in other to reduce potential risks such contamination may pose to consumer health.
Keywords: Escherichia coli, food safety, ginger drink, kunu zaki, zobo.,