Determination of Bacterial Contaminants in Raw Vegetables from Open Market and Small Shops in Udupi, Karnataka

Abstract

Background: Raw fresh fruits and vegetables are often contaminated with various pathogenic and commensal bacteria. Foodborne illness caused by pathogenic bacteria present in the raw vegetables could result in serious health problems.
Objective: To assess the bacteriological quality of raw vegetables from the open market and small shops in and around Udupi town at Karnataka.
Materials and Method: For the microbiological analysis, tomatoes (n=50) and coriander leaves (n=35), two types of raw vegetables commonly used in salads, were collected from the open markets and small shops in and around Udupi and processed in the laboratory.
Result: Enterobacteriaceae were predominant in both tomatoes and coriander leaves followed by Pseudomonas and Klebsiella species. In comparison with tomatoes, coriander leaves were contaminated more with bacterial flora. No pathogenic bacteria were identified on these vegetables.
Conclusion: The raw vegetables were contaminated only with few Enterobacteriaceae and environmental bacteria which may lead to mild to severe foodborne illness in susceptible individuals. However, the raw vegetables were not contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.