Microbial density and associated physicochemical properties of palm wine in Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

Abstract

This study evaluated the microbial density and concentration of some physicochemical constituents of palm wine sold in Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Samples of palm wine were purchased from 6 locations. Sample from each location was sub-sampled in triplicate, and the density of microbial population was enumerated following standard microbiological procedure. The physicochemical parameters of constituents were determined using standard procedures. Results showed that total heterotrophic bacteria counts, total fungi counts, pH, conductivity, specific gravity, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium in palm wine ranged from 2.620 x 10 4 – 1.713 x 10 5 CFU/ml, 5.867 x 10 4 - 2.163 x 10 5 CFU/ml, 3.600 – 3.767, 5750.000 – 8816.667µS/ cm, 0.998 – 1.010, 0.131 – 0.216%, 0.020 – 0.063 mg/L, 6.403 – 9.592 mg/L, 17.788 – 41.292 mg/L, 13.842 – 15.631 mg/L and 9.177 – 11.030 mg/L respectively. Apart from pH, all other test parameters showed significant discrepancies ( p < 0.05) in the different samples. The observed variation suggests that different factors are influencing the microbial and physicochemical characteristics of palm wine in the study area. The microbial density was within tolerable limits (10 4 to 10 5 ) in food as specified by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods. The high microbial population suggests the need to regularly evaluate microbial density in palm wine to forestall potential health risks associated with its consumption.