Microbiological quality of freshly squeezed sugar-cane juices vended in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Twenty fresh sugarcane juice samples were randomly bought from street vendors from 20 localities in Dar es Salaam city. Each sample was subjected to identification of microbial contaminants and microbiological assays. All samples were clear and odorless with pH ranging from 3.6 to 4.8. Most of the sugarcane juices harbored microorganisms beyond acceptable limits. Bacterial counts ranged from 1.44×10 5 to 6.0×10 5 cfu/ml and fungal counts from 1.36×10 5 to 2.64×10 5 cfu/ml, exceeding the specified limits by 10 to 100 folds. A total of 25 bacterial and 23 fungal (15 yeasts and 8 molds) isolates were found. Predominantly isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus  and Pseudomonas aeruginosa while isolated fungi were Candida albicans and  Aspergillus flavus . Over 60% of bacterial contaminants were fecal coliforms, an indication of poor sanitary and unhygienic conditions of vendors/production sites. The microbiological quality of sugarcane juices vended in Dar es Salaam streets was thus questionable. Keywords: Microbiological quality, sugarcane juice, microbial contaminants