Microbial Quality and Safety Assessment of Fresh Lettuce in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2025-02-27
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Lettuce is high in water content (94-95%) and low in calories. It's also high in vitamins, minerals, and bioactive substances including polyphenols, carotenoids, and chlorophyll, all of which have health benefits. Food-borne illness outbreaks linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat vegetables are on the rise. but the recent information about the microbial loads and safety aspects of fresh lettuce are lacking. In this study, the microbial quality and safety assessment of fresh lettuce in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were investigated. The general objective was to assess the microbial quality and safety and identify the major food-borne pathogens from fresh lettuce samples collected from selected marketplaces in Addis Ababa. A stratified random sampling was used to select 110 vegetable sellers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Detection of hygiene indicators microorganisms: total coliforms, aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), yeast, mold and Enterococci, E. coli, and other food-borne pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, were analyzed from 110 fresh lettuce samples. The study reveals that the fresh lettuce samples collected from selected marketplaces in Addis Ababa were contaminated with various microorganisms, including total coliform, Staphylococci, Fecal streptococci and E. coli this indicates the poor hygienic conditions of the study area. As a confirmatory test, 33 positive representative isolates after the biochemical test were taken and detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among the analyzed samples, only 2 samples Addis Ketema and Lideta sub cities were positive for E. coli and P. aeruginosa, respectively. This contamination poses a potential biological health hazard to general consumers, as they are at risk of contracting food-borne infections. The findings underscore the urgent need for improved hygiene and safety measures in the production and handling of lettuce to safeguard consumers from potential biological health risks in Addis Ababa.
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Keywords
Vegetable’s, Addis Ababa, Quality, Hygiene, Biological Health Hazards, Safety, Lettuce