Assessment of Microbial Load on Fresh-Cut Pineapple in Koforidua (Ghana) Market

Fresh-cut fruits are fruits that have been peeled, trimmed, chopped and packaged for consumers while still maintaining its freshness. Fresh-cut fruits are increasingly becoming popular with consumers because of its convenience. A major challenge faced in Ghana is the inappropriate method of processing to maintain the quality of the fresh-cut fruits. This may increase the incidence of microbial contamination which will then reduce the shelf-life of fresh-cut fruits as well as causing foodborne illness to consumers. This study was therefore conducted to assess the microbial loads on fresh-cut pineapple sold in Koforidua market in Ghana. Fresh-cut pineapples were obtained from three different vendors in Koforidua central market in Ghana. Pour plate method was used to analyze five microorganisms which include Total coliform bacterial, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Yeast and moulds on the fresh-cut pineapple samples. The microbial counts were transformed into colony forming units (cfu) and analyzed using SPSS. Salmonella plates showed no growth of bacteria colonies, but total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, yeast and moulds showed growth on the pour plates. The analyses indicated that the microbial count among vendors were not significantly different (P>0.05). The total coliform count showed a range of 1.1×103 to 1.2×103 cfu, 1.0 ×103 cfu for Escherichia coli, yeast ranged from 1.2×103 to 4.7×103 cfu, moulds ranged from 0 to 2.5×103cfu forall the three vendors. All the values indicated for the microorganisms analyzed are above the acceptable limit of microorganisms in food. It is therefore concluded that fresh-cut fruits sold on koforidua market are not quality for consumption; however vendors need to be trained on proper conditioning of the fruits prior to consumption.