Assessment of Microbial Load in Freshly Cut Street Fruits and Its Health Implications in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana

Aim: The study aimed to examine the microbial load in some selected cut and vended fruits in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana.

Study Approach and Design: The study hinges on the positivist paradigm and employs the quantitative research approach and a descriptive cross-sectional study design to examine microbial load in some selected cut and vented fruits in the Tamale Metropolis.

Methodology: The study population consists of one hundred and thirteen (113) vendors with the use of Yamane (1967) n=N/1+N(e)2 of an estimated number of 158 with the Health Directorate of the Metropolis who sell watermelons, oranges, Pawpaw, pineapples, mangoes and apples. Thirty (30) pawpaw and watermelon ( 15 each ) samples of freshly cut fruits were conveniently purchased from fruit vendors within the Tamale Metropolis. A standard laboratory was used to analyse the samples collected. Microsoft Excel 2010 was used to generate means and standard deviations for the microbial load for each sample taken from the ten vendors. A zero value was assigned for statistical analysis in cases where bacterial levels were below the detectable limit. Significant differences between means were calculated using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). A p-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Based on the findings, out of the sampled fruits from the ten respondents, the mean values indicated seven samples had Staphylococcus aureus and at levels higher than the recommended by Ghana Standard Authority (< 3 logs CFU/g), and only one vendor had fruit with Escherichia. coli present. It was also revealed that only fruits from the three respondents sampled had no Listeria monocyte. The results revealed that seven of the ten samples had traces of Listeria monocytogenes. Fruit safety-wise, consuming these fruits can result in fruit-borne diseases caused by Listeria monocytogenes. The impacts of Listeria monocytogenes on different groups of persons cannot be ignored.

Conclusion: The results for Staphylococcus Aureus, Escherichia coli, and Aerobic mesophiles revealed that three samples of Staphylococcus aureus met the standard level of microbial load, whereas all but one sample of Escherichia coli failed to meet the standard load measure.