Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Bacteriological Profile of Vended Local Drinks in Amakom, Kumasi, Ghana

Elizabeth Akua Baidoo, Samuel N. Osei-Djarbeng, Jacob Amonoo-Neizer

Journal of Advances in Microbiology · pp. 65–76 · Published 22 Dec 2023

10.9734/jamb/2023/v23i12778

Abstract

Aims: Microorganisms are everywhere including food. Food, although not sterile, must have the number of microbes present falling within the acceptable limit as prescribed by the World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies. Street-vended food and drinks are still a thriving industry in the majority of developing nations, providing most urban people with their daily meals. This study sought to investigate the microbial load of some locally made street vended drinks including sorrel drink (‘Sobolo’) made from Hibiscus sabdariffa, ‘Brukina’, (a Ghanaian drink made of ground millet and pasteurized milk), ‘Emuduro’ (a natural ginger drink), ‘Abele’ (Ghanaian ice cream) and ‘Asaana’ (caramelized corn drink). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: In and around Kumasi Technical University campus, Kumasi-Ghana between January 2023 to March 2023. Methodology: Twenty-one (21) samples of local drinks were sampled randomly from various vendors aseptically and sent to the laboratory immediately for microbiological analysis. The standard plate count method and identification tests were used to determine the total aerobic count and identify microorganisms present respectively. Results: The study recorded a high microbial load in the samples collected. ‘‘Emuduro’’ was the most contaminated with an average viable count of 4.5 x 107 cfu/mL. ‘Asaana’ had the least contamination with an average viable count of 2.4 x 105 cfu/mL which fell still out of the tolerable limit of ≤ 105cfu/mL. ‘Sobolo’, ‘Brukina’, and ‘Abele’ had counts of 4.1 x 107 cfu/mL, 1.4 x 106 cfu/mL, and 1.3 x 106cfu/mL respectively which are unacceptable. Pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Enterobacter spp. were identified from the samples. The high microbial load in most of the samples may result from the use of unhygienic water, insanitary surroundings and equipment, and prolonged refrigeration Conclusion: The study revealed that street-vended locally made drinks can be harmful to people and may cause various food-borne illnesses.

Local drinks pathogens microbial contamination safety

References (38)

  1. 1 Street foods in Accra, Ghana: how safe are they? [DOI]
  2. 2 Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials [DOI]
  3. 3 Chromatographic analysis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities of ginger extracts and its reference compounds [DOI]
  4. 4 Review of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Prevalence, Pathogenicity, Heavy Metal and Antimicrobial Resistance, African Perspective [DOI]
  5. 5 Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the healthcare facility setting [DOI]
  6. 6 Foodborne Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence Potential, Antibiotic Resistance, and Risks to Food Safety [DOI]
  7. 7 Occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae in Raw Meat and in Human Samples from Egyptian Retail Sellers [DOI]
  8. 8 Microbiological Safety of Street-Vended Beverages in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur [DOI]
  9. 9 Prevalence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Molecular Description of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Meat and Meat Products [DOI]
  10. 10 Microbial evaluation and some proposed good manufacturing practices of locally prepared malted corn drink (“asaana”) and Hibiscus sabdarifa calyxes extract (“sobolo”) beverages sold at a university cafeteria in Ghana [DOI]
  11. 11 Microbiological quality evaluation of ready-to-eat mixed vegetable salad, food ingredients and some water samples from a restaurant in Accra: A case study [DOI]
  12. 12 Foodborne pathogens awareness and food safety knowledge of street-vended food consumers: A case of university students in Ghana [DOI]
  13. 13 Prevalence, antibiotic resistance patterns, and biofilm formation ability of Enterobacterales recovered from food of animal origin in Egypt [DOI]
  14. 14 Microbiological quality assessment of five common foods sold at different points of sale in Burkina-Faso [DOI]
  15. 15 Assessment of microbiological quality of some drinks sold in the streets of Dhaka University Campus in Bangladesh [DOI]
  16. 16 Microorganisms as an Indicator of Hygiene Status Among Migrant Food Handlers in Peninsular Malaysia [DOI]
  17. 17 Forecasting the incidence of salmonellosis in seniors in Canada: A trend analysis and the potential impact of the demographic shift [DOI]
  18. 18 Distribution of Enterobacteria in Ready-to-Eat Food in Cafeterias and Retail Food Outlets in Benin City: Public Health Implications [DOI]
  19. 19 Using low technology to improve the safety of informal-vended brukina – a fermented milk and millet smoothie in Ghana [DOI]
  20. 20 Process and Product Characterization of Aliha, A Maize-Based Ghanaian Indigenous Fermented Beverage [DOI]
  21. 21 Microbiological quality analysis of commercial fruit juice in Dhaka City, Bangladesh [DOI]
  22. 22 Bacteriology Quality of Zobo Drinks Consumed in Some Parts of Osun State, Nigeria
  23. 23 Comparative antimicrobial activities of different solvent extracts and a refreshing drink (Sobolo) made from Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.
  24. 24 Microbial Quality of Locally Prepared Hibiscus Tea in Accra Metropolis, Ghana [DOI]
  25. 25 Antimicrobial Potential of Some Local Spices Used in Ghanaian Meals [DOI]
  26. 26 Profile of resident microbes causing spoilage in “olewonyo”, a locally produced non-alcoholic beverage in Kumasi, Ghana [DOI]
  27. 27 Microbial evaluation of fermented milk and millet beverage (brukina) produced in Ghana by culture-independent technique.
  28. 28 Microbial contamination of the non-alcoholic beverage Gnamakoudji made from Zingiber officinale in Daloa, Cte dIvoire [DOI]
  29. 29 Microbiological analysis of pasteurized and sterilized milk with emphasis on the impact of storage time and temperature on the growth and development of microorganisms.
  30. 30 Microbiological and Physicochemical Evaluation of Some Locally Produced Soft Drinks and Beverages Sold in Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana
  31. 31 Synthesis and Characterization of Ti-Mof Based Magnetically Retrievable Composite for the Selective Detection of Enteropathogenic E.coli [DOI]
  32. 32 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences [DOI]
  33. 33 Food Standards Australia New Zealand [DOI]
  34. 34 International Journal of Herbal Medicine [DOI]
  35. 35 Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design [DOI]
  36. 36 Microbial Hazard Analysis and Development of Control Measures for Bissap Drink (Sobolo)
  37. 37 Microbiological Quality of a Locally Brewed Alcoholic Beverage (Pito) Sold in a Community within the Greater Accra Region, Ghana [DOI]
  38. 38 10.18697/ajfand.9 [DOI]

Cited by 4

Improved Production Process Map and Safety of Millet‐Based Fermented Beverage

Eric Owusu Mensah, Emmanuel Boakye Asare · Applied Research · 2024

Showing 2 of 4 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

8

Page views

0

PDF downloads

0

Outbound clicks

4

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.