Abstract
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Vegetables like cabbage and lettuce which are widely consumed are important sources of micronutrients like vitamins and dietary fiber. These vegetables are prone to bacterial contamination as a result of pre- and post-harvest practices.
Aims and Objectives:
Due to bacterial infestation of lettuce and cabbage in the course of usage, this work is aimed at employing safe chemical additives such as vinegar, at various concentration levels to investigate the microbial load of vegetables to ensure the safety of the vegetables for human consumption.
Methodology:
A total of ten samples, cabbage (n=5) and lettuce (n=5) were purchased from Ilisan and Sagamu areas of Ogun state, Nigeria which lies within the latitude of6.8932°E and longitude of 3.7105°N. Bacteriological quality of the samples was assessed by isolating and enumerating aerobic bacteria from the vegetable’s samples upon the treatment with distilled water, 0.5% and 1% vinegar concentrations.
Results:
A total of sixty isolates were recovered, twenty-six from cabbage and thirty-four from lettuce. Probable identities of the isolates were determined at the general level using standard methods. Micrococcus and staphylococcus recorded the highest percentage occurrence (16%) in cabbage, while Bacillus and clostridium had the highest percentage occurrence (12%) in lettuce. The treatment of the vegetables with 1% vinegar for five minutes resulted in highest significance (p<0.05) reduction of the
microbial loads. There was an exposure time dependent reduction in the microbial load, favoring the higher exposure time. Additionally, the increase in the concentration of the vinegar from 0.5% to 1% also led to a reduction of the microbial load.
Conclusion:
This study has shown that improperly washed vegetables could have poor microbial quality and vinegar treatment could offer first line control measure to enhancing food safety among consumers of cabbage and lettuce in Ilisan/Sagamu in particular, and globally in general.
