Abstract:
Fresh fruit juices are essential components of and there is considerable evidence of health and nutritional benefits associated with their consumption. However, during processing contamination from raw materials, equipment or food handlers could be easily transferred to the final product of the juices resulting to food-borne illness. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess bacterial quality and associated handling practices of unpasteurised fruit juices vended in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania. A total of 90 juice vendors were interviewed followed by collection of 90 juice samples for laboratory analysis. Physicochemical and bacterial qualities of the juices were analysed. The results showed that the pH of the juices ranged between 2.7 to 6.4 while the acidity ranged from 0.01% to 1.3%. The total soluble solids ranged between -1.5 to 18.04⁰Brix. Most juices had ⁰Brix levels below Codex recommended minimum values and 67.8% were classified as weak and watery. The total plate counts (TPC) of the juices ranged between 2.32 to 8.54 (Log cfu/ml). About 72.2% juice samples had TPC above Codex recommended maximum levels (5x10³ - 10⁴cfu/ml). The prevalence of Escherichia coli in the juices was 80% with a range between -1.13 to 4.97 (Log MPN/ml). All samples were negative for Salmonella species. Risk factors for higher TPC and E. coli counts which were statistically significant (P < 0.05) included pH, type of juice, extraction methods, vending sites, storage containers and sex of the vendor. Generally, 78.9%; of preparation and vending premises were unhygienic and encouraged contamination of the juices. It is concluded that, the overall handling, preparation practices and bacterial quality of unpasteurised fruit juices vended in Dar es Salaam city are poor. The government should educate the vendors on food safety and hygiene as well as enforcing regular monitoring of the quality of street fruit juices.
