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Background; Vegetables and Fruits have got major acceptance in the modern scientific world nowadays and advisable to use more per daily food consumption. Although these food products have got more acceptances, their preparation and sanitation before consumption at the household level have to get proper attention. Objective: The objective was to assess the microbial load of vegetables and fruits which had been submitted at the Public health microbiology laboratory of Ethiopian Public Health Institute, from the year 2008- 2017, ( 10 years Retrospective data).Methods: Samples were tested for the presence of Mold, Yeast, Mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Total coliform, Thermo-tolerant coliform and the Indicator E.coli, to determine the contamination level based on the NMKL protocol. For viable bacteria count, APHA protocol was applied. Result: One hundred ninety-five 5.9% (195/ 3279) raw and processed products had been received per ten years. Of these, 15% (29/195) of the samples revealed an intolerable microbial quality of the mesophilic aerobic plate count, followed by total coliforms 7.7% (15/195), thermo-tolerant coliforms 10.8 % (21/ 195), E.coli 3 % (6/ 195), mold count 1.5% (3/195) and yeast count 1.5% (3/195) (ICMSF protocol). Discussion and Conclusion: Although vegetables and fruits are currently proved to be the best healthy foods worldwide and are available with the low cost relatively, in the developing countries like Ethiopia, their consumption rate is overwhelmed by cereals and animal products based on the live status of the community. Therefore, joint efforts have to be exerted by different branches of MOH for encouraging the community to use vegetables and fruits as its main food source for better health and to reduce nasty illnesses like diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and so on. However, while doing so, series health education has to be provided on sanitation procedures like immediate cooking or disinfection before consumption to prevent the community from environmental risks. |
