Microbiological assessment and detection of drug resistant bacterial isolates in some vended fresh fruit juice samples in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

The consumption of fruit juices may affect both positively and negatively the health status of the consumers. When processed under a hygienic condition it could improve consumers' health by preventing various types of diseases. On the contrary, in absence of good manufacturing practices considering the nutritional affluence of fruit juices makes the product good middling for microbial growth and vehicle of foodborne pathogens. The current study was undertaken to determine the microbiological traits of the vended fruit juices collected from different areas of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. A total of twenty juice samples particularly of four categories such as lemon, sugarcane, malta and watermelon were analyzed for the detection of total viable bacterial load, coliforms, and some other pathogenic bacteria. In these samples, total viable bacteria were within the array between 104 -107CFU/mL. Total coliforms (both Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp.) were found in 50% of the samples, alarmingly all exceeding the standard bacteriological limits (1.0×104 CFU/mL) recommended for fruit juices. Among the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp. and Vibrio spp. were detected. All these bacterial isolates were detected through standard cultural, microscopic and biochemical tests. A varying degree of drug resistance among the isolates was observed against Amoxycillin, Ampicillin, Azithromycin, Erythromycin, Imipenem and Vancomycin. Overall, the study indicated that the quality of vendor fresh juices was not up to the mark. That’s why there is a continuous need for the microbiological assessment of these popular ready-to-drink products otherwise they may create potential health hazards.