Bacteriological Assessment of Selected Fruits and Vegetables Sold in Major Open Markets in Lafia Metropolis, North-Central Nigeria
Keywords:
Bacteria, Contamination, Fruits, Health effects, VegetablesAbstract
Fruits and vegetables serve as important sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, supporting total well-being and becoming a staple in many diets. The study examined bacterial contamination of selected fruits and vegetables sold in the major cities of Lafia in northern Nigeria. A total of 60 samples, 30 from each market, were collected from Alamis and Modern markets. This included cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, pepper, watermelon, bitterleaf, and waterleaf. The samples were subjected to microbial analysis to determine the total heterotrophic bacterial count (THBC) and total coliform count (TCC) using the pour plate method. Nutrient and MacConkey agar were used for bacterial isolation. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square (χ²) tests in IBM SPSS version 28.0, with significance set at p < 0.05. The THBC and TCC recorded for samples from Alamis market ranged between 1.94 × 10³ cfu/g and 4.00 × 10³ cfu/g and 1.80 × 10³ cfu/g and 5.64 × 10³ cfu/g, respectively. Meanwhile, in the modern market, THBC varied from 1.42 × 10³ cfu/g to 4.31 × 10³ cfu/g, while TCC ranged from 1.04 × 10³ cfu/g to 2.56 × 10³ cfu/g. No significant relationship was observed between THBC and TCC across the samples. Identified bacterial species included Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Bacillus spp., Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. These findings highlight microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables and the need for public health measures to control the spread of infectious diseases caused by local foods in the region.
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