Microbial Quality and Hygienic Safety of Avocado Fruit Juice Sold in Merawi Town, Amhara, Ethiopia

Fruit juices are nutritious beverages used by people of all ages around the world. The microbial quality and safety of juices are closely monitored in developed countries but not in many developing countries. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the microbial quality and hygienic safety of fresh avocado fruit juice in Merawi town. The study was conducted in Merawi town from February 2019 to May 2019. It included 16 workers from five avocado juice houses for hygienic practice assessments. A total of 30 avocado fruit juice samples were collected for laboratory analysis. The samples were immediately transported to Bahir Dar University, Microbiology Laboratory for microbial culture. The results of the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. One-way ANOVA was used to compare microbial mean counts. Out of all the participants in the survey, 93.75% were females, while the remaining 6.25% were males. All juice vendors (100% of participants) reported that they had not received food hygiene and safety training. About 81.25% of participants did not wear safety clothes during juice processing. The laboratory investigation of avocado fruit juice microbial load revealed a mean count of 5.43 log10 cfu/mL: aerobic mesophilic bacteria, 4.42 log10 cfu/mL: Staphylococcus, 4.35 log10 cfu/mL: total coliform, 4.40 log10 cfu/mL: Enterobacteriaceae, and 3.40log cfu/mL: yeast–mold. There was no statistical difference among the microbial load of fruit juice samples. The highest mean microbial load was found in the aerobic mesophilic count of 5.43log cfu/mL, while the lowest mean microbial load was found in the yeast–mold count of 3.40 log cfu/mL. The findings indicated that all avocado fruit juice mean microbial counts were higher than the recommended Gulf region standard. Juice handlers should receive regular training and education on food hygiene and safety to reduce the microbial loads of fruit juice.