Microbial and Parasitic Contamination on Fresh Vegetables Sold in Traditional Markets in Hue City, Vietnam

Ho Le Quynh Chau^1, , Ho Trung Thong¹, Nguyen Van Chao¹, Pham Hoang Son Hung¹, Vu Van Hai¹, Le Van An¹, Ayako Fujieda², Tanaka Ueru³ and Miki Akamatsu⁴

¹College of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Vietnam

²Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan

³Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan

⁴Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan

Cite this paper:
Ho Le Quynh Chau, Ho Trung Thong, Nguyen Van Chao, Pham Hoang Son Hung, Vu Van Hai, Le Van An, Ayako Fujieda, Tanaka Ueru and Miki Akamatsu. Microbial and Parasitic Contamination on Fresh Vegetables Sold in Traditional Markets in Hue City, Vietnam. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2014; 2(12):959-964. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-2-12-16

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate microbial and parasitic contamination in twelve types of popular vegetables in Hue city. A total of 108 vegetable samples, equal numbers of young mustard greens, celery, amaranth, cilantro, water spinach, rice paddy herb, Vietnamese cilantro, basil, centella, lettuce, watercress, and iceberg lettuce were collected from three traditional markets in Hue city. All of samples were tested for total aerobic bacteria counts and E. coli by traditional culture-based methods. The Salmonella and parasites on the vegetables were detected by PCR technique and microscopic methods, respectively. All samples were highly contaminated with aerobic bacteria and E. coli. The aerobic bacteria counts ranged from 6.84 to 8.40 log CFU/g. Escherichia coli levels ranged from 5.47 – 6.88 log CFU/g. Salmonella was detected in 19/108 of test samples. Water spinach was found to have the highest contamination prevalence with Salmonella (55.56%). Contamination by multiple parasites was detected in all vegetable samples. The contamination rates of Fasciola, Ascaris, Trichuris and Clonorchis sinensis eggs were 83.33%, 85.19%, 64.81% and 16.67%, respectively. The oocysts of Cryptosporidium, Isospora and Cyclospora were found on the samples at rates of 47.22%, 27.78% and 27.78%, respectively. These bacteria and parasites may become potential sources of cross contamination and pose a serious risk to human health.

Keywords:
aerobic bacteria E. coli parasite Salmonella vegetable

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