Microbiological Quality of Street Vended Freshly Squeezed Sugar-cane Juices and Antimicrobial Resistance of Microbial Contaminants

  • Kennedy Daniel Mwambete Muhimbili University
  • Mpenda Hamis Mpenda Mwananyamala Municipal Referral Hospital, P. O. Box 15077, Dare s Salaam, Tanzania.
Keywords: Microbiological quality, sugarcane juice, microbial contaminants, antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

Twenty fresh sugarcane juice samples were randomly bought from street vendors from 20 localities in Dar es Salaam city. Each sample was subjected to identification of microbial contaminants and microbiological assays. All samples were clear and odorless with pH ranging from 3.6 to 4.8. Most of the sugarcane juices harbored microorganisms beyond acceptable limits. Bacterial counts ranged from 1.44×105 to 6.0×105cfu/ml and fungal counts from 1.36×105 to 2.64×105cfu/ml, exceeding the specified limits by 10 to 100 folds. A total of 25 bacterial and 23 fungal (15 yeasts and 8 molds) isolates were found. Predominantly isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa while isolated fungi were Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus. Over 60% of bacterial contaminants were fecal coliforms, an indication of poor sanitary and unhygienic conditions of vendors/production sites. The microbiological quality of sugarcane juices vended in Dar es Salaam streets was thus questionable.

Author Biographies

Kennedy Daniel Mwambete, Muhimbili University

Prof. Kennedy D. Mwambete holds a PhD (Experimental & Molecular Pharmacology) from University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. Currently, he works for Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania as Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Dean of School of Pharmacy.

Mpenda Hamis Mpenda, Mwananyamala Municipal Referral Hospital, P. O. Box 15077, Dare s Salaam, Tanzania.

An intern pharmacist at Mwananyama Municipsal referral Hospital and former Bachelor of Pharmacy Student at MUHAS.

Published
2019-08-15
How to Cite
Mwambete, K., & Mpenda, M. (2019). Microbiological Quality of Street Vended Freshly Squeezed Sugar-cane Juices and Antimicrobial Resistance of Microbial Contaminants. The East and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22(3), 64-70. Retrieved from https://uonjournals.uonbi.ac.ke/ojs/index.php/ecajps/article/view/236