You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Scent leaf is a common vegetable and spice in the diet of most Nigerians, cherished as a result of its contribution to health and sensory qualities. However, its safety is usually compromised especially because it is usually consumed raw or slightly cooked. Hence, this study was conducted to determine its microbiological quality. Samples of scent leaf (9) were randomly purchased from New Benin, Oba and Uselu markets in Benin. Each sample was divided into 2- one group was washed with sterile distilled water and the other group was left unwashed and they were blended to aid homogenization. Samples were analyzed for bacteria and yeasts using conventional plate culture procedures. This was followed by the characterization of bacterial and fungal isolates using cultural and biochemical characteristics. The identity of isolates were confirmed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The mean bacteria count (log10 cfu/g) across the three markets for the unwashed samples was 2.30 while that of the washed was 1.92. For fungi, the mean count in the unwashed scent leaf was 1.67 while that of the washed samples was 1.20. Statistically, there was a significant difference (P<0.05) in bacteria counts (log10 cfu/g) between the unwashed (2.27, 2.28 and 2.34) and washed scent leaves (1.96, 1.86 and 1.96) for New Benin, Oba and Uselu markets respectively. Significant differences (P<0.05) were also recorded in fungal counts (log10 cfu/g) between the raw scent leaves (1.71, 1.66 and 1.63) and washed samples (1.25, 1.18 and 1.16) obtained from New Benin, Oba and Uselu markets respectively. Also, the bacteria count across the markets was always higher than the fungal count; an indication of more bacterial contamination. The bacteria isolated from the scent leaf samples were identified and was found to be Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PCR tests was carried out and confirmed the identity of three of the isolates specifically as Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The fungi isolates were identified by cultural and morphological characteristics as Trichoderma spp, Pennicillium spp and Curvularia spp. Thus it is recommended for raw spices and herbs to be washed with clean water to reduce the microbial load and make them safer for consumption. The effect of other methods of decontamination such as washing with water and salt or with vinegar should be tested in this study location since most vegetables are either consumed raw or partially cooked.
