Microbial Quality of Industrially Processed Sachet-Packed Fruit Drinks Consumed Mostly by School Children in Nigeria

Fruit drinks are often packed as accompaniments with school children’s lunch packs in Nigeria. In recent times, reports from consumers stated that a lot of these drinks when opened up and poured into cups before drinking, fungal mass was present and this has queried the safety of consumption of these drinks. The aim of this study was to determine whether commercially packed fruit drinks consumed majorly by school children were microbially contaminated. Twenty (20) samples of sachet packed fruit drinks comprising of 4 different flavours precisely orange, pineapple, apple and multivitamin flavours were analyzed for their microbial quality. The total bacterial and fungal counts in the samples examined did not exceed the regulatory microbiological criteria for fruit drinks. Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, Rhizopus, Aspergillus and Penicillium species were isolated from the samples.  Lactobacillus poses no health risk to the consumer however, the incidence of Bacillus and Staphylococcus aureus  in the drink samples is quite worrisome as they have been implicated as potential pathogens. The fungal species isolated are of public health concern especially as some have been implicated as mycotoxin producers. The presence of these organisms in the drinks may be attributed to indigenous microflora of fruits or concentrates used, poor hygienic practices during production and low pH of the drinks. It is therefore necessary that fruit drink manufacturers adhere strictly to microbiological quality standards and specifications during production especially for foods to be consumed by children with developing immune systems.