Year: 2017 | Month: December | Volume 7 | Issue 2
Microorganisms in Cut Cucumber and their Public Health Significance
Abstract:
To assess the microbiological quality of cut cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) sold by itinerant roadside vendors in and around Kolkata, 25 such samples were collected over a two-months period during summer, and tested for total aerobic plate counts (TPCs), coliform and fecal-coliform (Escherichia coli) counts, and other food-borne pathogens. TPCs ranged from 5.093 to 7.477 log cfu/g, 18 samples out of which (72%) had counts >7 log cfu/g. Coliforms were detected in all 25 samples (100%). E. coli was detected in 23 of them (92%), having an average count of 140.80 MPN/g, with 18 samples (78.26%) showing counts >7 log cfu/g. Salmonella and Vibrio cholerae were detected in 12 (48%) and 1 (4%) of the total samples respectively, with 7 of the 12 samples of the former (58.33%), and the latter (100%) showing counts >7 log cfu/g respectively.
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