Microbiological Quality of “Rabilé”, a Yeast Used for Fermentation of Dolo, a Local Beer in Dédougou, Burkina Faso

Sorghum beer or dolo is part of the eating habits of part of the population of Dédougou because of its low price compared with industrial beers. Its production is an ancestral tradition that uses traditional equipment and gives dolo organoleptic properties that are not found in industrial beers. The production process involves several stages, including fermentation, which itself comprises natural lactic fermentation followed by alcoholic fermentation using traditional yeasts, which are not controlled in any way. The general aim of this study is to assess the microbiological quality of these fermentative yeasts in the town of Dédougou, in order to contribute to the health safety of the population and the promotion of these local beers. Twenty samples of fermenting yeast were analyzed according to ISO standards, to isolate enterobacteria, total and faecal coliforms according to standard procedures for isolating these micro-organisms. The isolated strains were identified using the API20E gallery. Microbiological analyses revealed the presence of 51.17% enterobacteria, 45.38% total coliforms and 3.45% thermotolerant coliforms. We counted 40% Escherichia coli, 20% Enterobacter cloacae, 20% Klebsiella pneumoniae and 20% Klebsiella spp. All the strains detected are capable of surviving in hostile conditions and could harm the quality of the dolo, consumer health and cause real collective food poisoning in the town of Dédougou. This enabled us to assess the microbial quality of these yeasts and to propose more suitable measures for producing and preserving dolo under hygienic conditions to protect consumer health.

Microbiological Quality of Cyperus esculentus L. Products Sold in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)

This study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) products sold in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. The microbial load of tubers and tiger nut milk was determined using ISO 4833-1 (2003) standard (total mesophilic aerobic flora), NF ISO 7954 (1998) standard (yeasts and molds), and ISO 4832 (2006) standard (total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms). The results showed that tiger nut tubers had an average microbial load between 4.86 ± 7.03 × 106 UFC/g and 1.82 ± 2.30 × 107 UFC/g for total mesophilic aerobic flora, from 4.34 ± 10.6 × 105 UFC/g to 3.52 ± 4.54 × 106 UFC/g for yeasts and molds, from 2.23 ± 2.25 × 105 UFC/g to 1.41 ± 2.16 × 105 UFC/g for total coliforms and from 1.83 ± 2.03 × 105 UFC/g to 7.0 ± 10.8 × 104 CFU/g for thermotolerant coliforms. For tiger nut milk samples, the average microbial load varied from 3.48 ± 2.98 × 106 CFU/g to 2.80 ± 5.69 × 107 CFU/g for total mesophilic aerobic flora, from 5.00 ± 7.21 × 104 CFU/g to 1.88 ± 3.31 × 105 CFU/g for yeasts and molds, from 4.58 ± 10.4 × 104 CFU/g to 6.31 ± 9.17 × 105 CFU/g for total coliforms and 7.00 ± 7.00 × 103 CFU/g to 2.87 ± 5.86 × 105 CFU/g for thermotolerant coliforms. This study revealed that the tubers and tiger nut milk sold in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso had a high microbial load which could lead to the degradation of these products and food poisoning for consumers.

Microbiological Quality of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate microbiological quality of raw goat milk in Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 40 pooled raw goat milk samples (each with a volume of 450 mL) were collected from the udders and milk handling equipment of targeted goat milk producers in the study area. The milk samples were subjected to laboratory analysis to evaluate total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) in order to determine the microbiological quality of the raw goat milk in the study area. The study showed that the mean total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) for raw milk samples collected from the udder were 4.92 ± 0.23 and 2.68 ± 0.36 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. The mean counts for samples collected from milk equipment were 5.61 ± 0.32 and 3.93 ± 0.21 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The values for the samples collected from pastoral production system were 5.63 ± 0.13 and 4.02 ± 0.20 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The average means of TBC and TCC for samples collected from the agro-pastoral production system were 4.9 ± 0.41 and 2.59 ± 0.37 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. Significant difference (P 0.05) in mean TBC and TCC was observed between milk samples collected from pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems as well as milk samples collected from udders and milk handling equipment of the producers. It could be concluded that both TBC & TCC of goat milk samples collected from the udder as well as from the milk handling equipment of producers exceeded the acceptable limits. This indicated that production practices performed during milk production and postharvest handling in the study area were unhygienic. Therefore, hygienic and proper milk production procedures should be followed to improve the quality of goat milk for its intended use in the study area.

Microbiological Quality of Raw Camel Milk in Degahbour District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate microbiological quality of raw camel milk in Degahbour district. A total of 40 pooled raw camel milk samples (each with a volume of 450 mL) were collected from the udders and milk handling equipment of producers in Degahbour district. The raw milk samples were subjected to laboratory analyses to evaluate standard plate counts (SPC), total coliform count (TCC) yeast and mold count (YMC) to determine the microbiological quality of the raw camel milk in the study area. The overall mean SPC, CC and YMC for raw camel milk samples collected from the udder was 5.35 ± 0.19, 2.59 ± 0.16 and 1.71 ± 0.12, respectively. The overall mean counts for samples collected from the equipment of producers were 6.72 ± 0.17, 4.71 ± 0.23 and 1.61 ± 0.21 for SPC, CC and YMC, respectively. Significant difference (P 0.05) in mean SPC, TCC and YMC was observed between milk samples collected from pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems as well as collected from udders and milk equipment. In general, it was concluded that raw camel milk samples collected from the udder as well as from the equipment of producers were contaminated with SPC, CC and YMC, with loads exceeding the respective acceptable limits. Therefore, hygienic production and postharvest handling practices need to be followed to improve the quality and suitability of camel milk for its intended use in the study area.

Microbiological quality of roof tank water in an urban village in southeastern China

Urban villages are unique residential neighborhoods in urban areas in China. Roof tanks are their main form of water supply, and water quality deterioration might occur in this system because of poor hygienic conditions and maintenance. In this study, water samples were seasonally collected from an urban village to investigate the influence of roof tanks as an additional water storage device on the variation in the microbial community structure and pathogenic gene markers. Water stagnation in the roof tank induced significant decreases in chlorine(p < 0.05), residual chlorine was as low as 0.02 mg/L in spring. Propidium monoazide(PMA)-qPCR revealed a one-magnitude higher level of total viable bacterial concentration in roof tank water samples(2.14 ± 1.81 × 105gene copies/mL) than that in input water samples(3.57 ± 2.90 × 104gene copies/mL, p < 0.05), especially in spring and summer. In addition,pathogenic fungi, Mycobacterium spp., and Legionella spp. were frequently detected in the roof tanks. Terminal users might be exposed to higher microbial risk induced by high abundance of Legionella gene marker. Spearman’s rank correlation and redundancy analysis showed that residual chlorine was the driving force that promoted bacterial colonization and shaped the microbial community. It is worth noted that the sediment in the pipe will be agitated when the water supply is restored after the water outages, which can trigger an increase in turbidity and bacterial biomass. Overall, the findings provide practical suggestions for controlling microbiological health risks in roof tanks in urban villages.

A Baseline Study on the Quality and Safety of Consumption of a Pest Species(Sarotherodon melanotheron)in Bataan,Philippines:Basis for Its Productive Utilization in the Fisheries Sector

The baseline study profiled Black-chin Tilapia(Sarotherodon.melanotheron),a fish farm pest species in Bataan,Philippines,in terms of yield(processing and fillet),proximate composition(moisture,ash,crude fat,and crude protein),heavy metal load(cadmium[Cd],lead[Pb],arsenic[As],and mercury[Hg]),and microbial count(aerobic plate,Escherichia coli,and Staphylococcus aureus counts).The purpose was to establish the species’safety and quality for consumption and potential utilization in the processing of higher value fishery products.A completely randomized experiment using two factors,fish size(standard and small sizes)and collection season(dry and wet seasons),was employed.The collected data were also compared against food consumption and processing standards and/or previous reports on more valuable species.The results showed that the species has a comparable yield and mineral load with the more popular farmed Nile Tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus).It has high moisture and protein compositions.It is a lean fish that can serve as a cheaper functional raw material for processed fishery products.Moreover,the results showed that the species have no As,Cd,and Pb contamination,although traces of Hg,far below the permissible limits,were detected.The Hg load varies across collection season and fish maturity suggesting its manageability.For the microbial contents,the species’aerobic plate,Escherichia coli,and Staphylococcus aureus counts were far below the standard limits,although best post-capture practices are still suggested due to the kind of microbial parameters measured.It was concluded that the Sarotherodon melanotheron infesting Bataan farm ponds can be consumed safely and has the quality of potential raw material for processed fishery products.However,further information is still needed to establish the best post-capture handling on the species.Also,more studies must be done to determine the impact of storage and processing on its stability.

Traditional Processing and Characterization of “Alme Ardeb”, an Indigenous Beverage from Far North Region, Cameroon

“Alme ardeb” is a conventional beverage made from sugar and tamarind, season with other ingredients and highly prized by the population of the northern regions of Cameroon. Despite the importance of this traditional drink, the manufacturing process and quality attributes are still unknown. As such, a study was undertaken to describe the manufacturing process and characterise the quality of “Alme ardeb”. A survey was conducted in the Diamaré division of the Far north region. An ethnographical technique accompanied with semi-structured questionnaires and interviewing were used for collecting data needed to elaborate the production process. Forty-nine (49) samples of “Alme ardeb” were taken from 49 women producers in the different sites representing 10 samples per site and the sensory, physicochemical, phytochemical and microbiological properties were assessed according referenced techniques. The field survey reveals that the production of “Alme ardeb” is conventional and rudimentary involving two classical units of operation, caramelisation and boiling. The pH and titratable acidity of “Alme ardeb” were insignificant (p ≥ 0.05) except for the soluble solids, electrical conductivity and total sugar. The pH is acidic ranging between 4.06 ± 0.01 and 4.74 ± 0.05 with an oscillating titratable acidity ranging from 0.61% ± 0.022% to 0.65% ± 0.01% and an average soluble solids content of about 10.74 °Brix. Similarly, the total sugar content varies between 51.25 ± 0.18g·L-1 and 61.37 ± 0.18 g·L-1 with a conductivity that fluctuates around 351 μS·cm-1 and 707 μS·cm-1. In addition, the average polyphenol, flavonoid and tannin contents were 2.2g EAG·L-1, 0.58 g·EQL-1 and 0.36 g·ECL-1 respectively, with a free radical scavenging capacity of 52.18%. The beverage revealed a complete absence of Salmonella with a doubtful hygienic quality. The total aerobic plate count varied from (4.1 ± 0.014) × 104 CFU·mL-1 to (8.2 ± 0.007) × 107 CFU·mL-1, total coliforms from (4.3 ± 0.6) × 102 CFU·mL-1 to (1.05 ± 0.7) × 105 CFU·mL-1, faecal coliforms from non-detected to (4.1 ± 0.07) × 102 CFU·mL-1 and the fungal flora ranged from 0.0 to (6.5 ± 0.7) × 103 CFU·mL-1. However, the panelists judged the beverage as being acidic with a brownish colour and a sweet caramelized taste. Consequently, the beverage was highly palatable and consumed with an overall score that went from 13.48 ± 3.32 to 15.81 ± 4.47.

Microbial profile of some ready-to-cook frozen food items sold in Dhaka city,Bangladesh

This study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of 159 animal-and plant-based ready-to-cook(RTC)frozen food items currently popular in Dhaka.Microbiological analyses were carried out to enumerate total aerobic counts of mesophilic bacteria,yeast and mold and to detect some common foodborne pathogens according to standard microbiological criteria.Higher microbial loads in all animal-based food types,other than chicken strips were found.In contrast,plant-based items were relatively safe except paratha,dal-puri,rooti chapati,and aloo-puri.Several common pathogenic bacterial species were screened by analyzing their morphological,cultural,and biochemical characteristics.Escherichia coli was prevalent in most samples,while Salmonella species were least reported.A considerable number of samples exhibited enough microbial loads at infection or intoxication levels.

The Occurrence of Bacteria of the Genus Aeromonas spp.in Oreochromis niloticus(Tilapia)and in the Water of Amateur Sport Fish Ponds and Sensitiveness to Antimicrobials

Since amateur fishing in fishponds has been on the increase in Brazil, there is a great concern on the microbiological quality of fish. One hundred and thirty-eight samples were collected during the dry and rainy periods in ten fish farms. Aeromonas spp. counts and tests for sensitiveness to antimicrobials were performed, coupled to the physical and chemical analyses of water. Tests revealed that 70% of samples were contaminated by Aeromonas spp., with water averaging 2.92 Log CFU/100 mL during the rainy period and 3.16 Log CFU/100 mL during the dry one. Fish contaminated by Aeromonas spp. averaged 2.58 Log CFU/100 mL during the rainy period and 3.53 Log CFU/100 mL during the dry one. Aeromonas spp. samples were multi-resistant to 2 or 8 antimicrobials in 62.5% of the samples. Ampicillin was the antimicrobial with the highest resistance percentage rate. Results showed that fish bred in amateur fish farms constituted a health risk for the population.

Direct evidence of microbiological water quality changes on bacterial quantity and community caused by plumbing system

Drinking water quality deteriorates from treatment plant to customer taps, especially in the plumbing system. There is no direct evidence about what the differences are contributed by plumbing system. This study compared the water quality in the water main and at customer tap by preparing a sampling tap on the water main. The biomass was quantified by adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and the microbial community was profiled by 454 pyrosequencing.The results showed that in distribution pipes, biofilm contributed >94% of the total biomass,while loose deposits showed little contribution(< 2%) because of the low amount of loose deposits. The distribution of biological stable water had minor effects on the microbiocidal water quality regarding both quantity(ATP 1 ng/L vs. 1.7 ng/L) and community of the bacteria. Whereas the plumbing system has significant contribution to the increase of active biomass(1.7 ng/L vs. 2.9 ng/L) and the changes of bacterial community. The relative abundance of Sphingomonas spp. at tap(22%) was higher than that at water main(2%), while the relative abundance of Pseudomonas spp. in tap water(15%) was lower than that in the water from street water main(29%). Though only one location was prepared and studied, the present study showed that the protocol of making sampling tap on water main offered directly evidences about the impacts of plumbing system on tap water quality, which makes it possible to distinguish and study the processes in distribution system and plumbing system separately.