Microbiological Quality of "Soumbala", an African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Condiment Sold in the Markets of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Aims: Produced in an artisanal way from the fermentation of the seeds of Parkia biglobosa, “Soumbala”, is a condiment very appreciated in several African countries including Côte d'Ivoire. This study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality and fungal profile of this condiment sold in the markets of nine communes in Abidjan.

Study Design: Food safety.

Place and Duration of Study: Soumbala's samples were collected in the markets during the month of October 2019 and analyzed at the Laboratory of Microbiology and Food Biotechnology of the Nangui Abrogoua University, Côte d'Ivoire.

Methodology: For this purpose, 27 samples of "Soumbala" were taken from the different markets and analysed. The loads of the different microorganisms (mesophilic aerobic germs, total coliforms, moulds) were determined by counting after culture in agar medium. The microbiological quality has been assessed according to Directive 2005/2073/EC. The physico-chemical composition (pH, titratable acidity, moisture content) of "Soumbala" has been determined according to standard methods. The identification of the mould strains isolated from the different samples was carried out using the identification keys.

Results: The results of the various physico-chemical parameters obtained ranged from 13.81 to 20.31%, 5.58 to 6.50 and 3.73 to 9.06 % for moisture content, pH and titratable acidity, respectively. The mesophilic aerobic germ loads of 7.21 to 7.70 log10 cfu/g determined in the analyzed samples are above the acceptability limit (6 log10 cfu/g) applied in this study. The maximum loading of total coliforms was 3.92 log10 cfu/g. All mould loads are below the acceptability limit. The mould strains isolated and identified from the identification keys belong to the genus Aspergillus.

Conclusion : A public health risk related to the consumption of "Soumbala" could exist if these moulds produced mycotoxin.