Bacterial contamination and associated antibiotic resistance in Fresh Produce : A comparative study between retail outlets and local markets
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Abstract
The consumption of food is essential for human survival, but the presence of bacterial pathogens in fresh produce can pose significant risks to public health by causing severe foodborne and enteric diseases. With this concern in mind, our study aimed to assess the contamination levels of specific bacterial species, E. coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, in various fresh produce items (pear, guava, apple, carrot, turnip, and cucumber) sourced from both local markets and retail outlets. Additionally, we investigated the antibiotic resistance of these bacterial species.
Our findings revealed the presence of the selected bacterial species, E. coli, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, in all samples obtained from both retail outlets and local markets. Notably, from among the local markets, pear exhibited the highest bacterial load (4.29 × 105 CFU/gm) compared to guava (3.16 × 105 CFU/gm) and apple (2.83 × 105 CFU/gm). Among vegetables, carrots demonstrated the highest contamination (4.27 × 105 CFU/gm) compared to turnip (3.38 × 105 CFU/gm) and cucumber (2.45 × 105 CFU/gm). Similar pattern was also obtained from among the common retail outlets. Pear exhibited itself as the most contaminated fruit (2.13 × 105 CFU/gm), followed by guavas (1.43 × 105 CFU/gm) and apples (0.882 × 105 CFU/gm). Among vegetables, carrots exhibited the maximum contamination (2.31 × 105 CFU/gm) compared to turnip (1.05 × 105 CFU/gm) and cucumber (0.689 × 105 CFU/gm).
Comparing the presence of various microbes among the available fresh produce, it was observed that E. coli consistently showed the highest abundance amongst all bacterial species cultivated from the fresh produce of both local markets and retail outlets. Alarmingly, isolated bacterial species also displayed substantial resistance to commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics, emphasizing the inherent health risks posed by bacterial pathogens present on raw fresh produce. This resistance underscores the potential threat to consumer health upon the consumption of such contaminated raw produce. We provide scientific evidence to prove that fresh produce may serve as a vehicle of foodborne exposure to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. It’s a global alarming situation, which needs immediate attentions and steps for control. Concerted efforts should be made to mitigate the resistant bacteria at all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption. To achieve this goal, good agricultural practices should be employed and regulatory authorities need to address this problem immediately
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