MICROBIAL QUALITY OF FRESH FRUIT JUICES PREPARED IN JUICE HOUSES OF DANGILA TOWN, AWI ZONE, AMHARA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Fresh fruits are essential components of the human diet and there is considerable evidence of the health and nutritional benefits associated with the consumption of fresh fruits or their juices. Improperly prepared fresh fruit and vegetable juices are recognized as one of the major causes of food borne illnesses. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the microbial quality of fresh fruit juices (avocado and mango) prepared in juice houses of Dangila Town and their hygienic conditions of preparation. Twenty four fresh fruit juice samples were collected from four different sites of Dangila town and analyzed for their microbial quality. Microbial quality was determined by quantifying the total aerobic viable bacterial count (TAVBC), Aerobic spore forming bacterial count (ASFBC), Staphylococcal count (SC), Yeast and Mould count (YMC), using spread plate count method with appropriate media and Entrobactriaceae count, Total coliform count (TCC) and Faecal coliform count (FCC), were determined by using the most probable number (MPN) method. Structured questionnaires were distributed for 30 participants working in juice houses to obtain preliminary information on hygienic and safety practices of fruit juice makers and handlers. Results show that the mean of TAVBC, ASFBC, SC, YMC, were 1.702 x 105cfu/ml, 2.75 x 104cfu/ml, 2.00 x 104cfu/ml, 1.52 x 104cfu/ml, 1.35 x 104cfu/ml, respectively for mango juices and 2.77 x 105, 1.32 x 104, 9.31 x 104, 1.97 x 104, 1.13 x 104 cfu/ml, respectively for avocado juices. Mean of total entrobaceriaceae counts were 261±40MPN/ml in mango juices and 587±136MPN/ml in avocado juices. Mean of total coliform counts were 367±110MPN/ml in mango juice and 822±124MPN/ml in avocado juices. Mean faecal coliform counts were 28±2MPN/ml in mango juices and 58±21MPN/ml in avocado juices. Most venders obtained fruits from the open market and most juice makers lacked special training in food hygiene and safety. According to the current study, the results may be attributed to contamination during processing and handling of fresh fruit juices. Therefore, regular surveillance and training on food hygiene, handling of fruit juices and hygiene of venders can improve the quality of fresh fruit juices. Vendors should use refrigerator to store fruits to reduce microbial contamination. Pathogenic bacteria such as E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella spp. and Salmonella spp. were isolated following standard methods. The bacterial isolates were tested for their sensitivity to common antibiotics using the disc diffusion method on MuellerHinton Agar. Most isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. Almost all isolates were resistance to erythromycin, and tetracycline.