Bioburdens of Selected Ready-to-Eat Fruits and Vegetables Consumed in Katsina Metropolis, Katsina State, Nigeria

Ready-to-eat vegetables and fruits have intrinsic properties predisposing them to microbial contamination especially in the absence of quality control. Recently, the increase in consumables bio-burden, manifested as the accumulation of potential pathogenic microbes therein, trigger occurrence of food related ailments, associated with morbidity and mortality cases. Evaluating the microbial quality of such foods is therefore important. This study was aimed at evaluating the presence of pathogens (bacteria and fungi) associated with some select fruits and vegetables consumed within Katsina metropolis, and comparing their microbial counts against international standards, to ascertain whether they conform to or exceed safety thresholds. Six different fruits and vegetables: cabbage (Brassica oleracea), carrot (Daucus carota), orange (Citrus sinensis), pineapple (Ananas comosus), spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) were sampled from vendors at different selling points. Analyses of the samples were conducted at the Microbiology Laboratory, Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina, Nigeria. Total Bacteria, Yeast and Mould counts were evaluated according to USDA protocols. The microorganisms were characterized using the colony morphology and biochemical analyses, and comparison with a fungal atlas. The results of the study showed that all the fruits and vegetables invariably contain concentrations of the bacteria exceeding safety thresholds set by the Committee on the Review of the Use of Scientific Criteria and Performance Standards for Safe Food, US Academy of Sciences (p = 0.382). Nonetheless, from the total yeast and mold counts results, watermelon and carrot have no fungal contaminants, while the rest have concentrations exceeding safety thresholds, with no significant differences (p = 0.459). The characterized bacteria include Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Proteus sp. , Shigella sp. , Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epider. . .