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

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.