Pages: 8-11

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the viable plate count, coliform and fecal coliform bacteria on fresh fruits washed with water, and utilization of antimicrobial agents (H2O2, ethanol and citric acid). Pour plate count method was employed for the total plate count (TPC), while multiple tube fermentation techniques were used for coliform bacteria determination. Among all the fruit samples washed with water, the highest value of TPC was observed in apples (15000 CFU/g) and the lowest in pears (2000 CFU/g). The presence of Coliform and fecal Coliform bacteria were found <3 in persimmons, grapes and pears washed with water and treated with H2O2, ethanol and citric acid. The findings concluded that the bacterial contamination in indigenous wholesale places was incredibly the highest, and hydrogen per oxide could be utilized as a washing source to get the better quality of fresh fruits. The increase in health awareness has led to consuming proper wash –down, or specifically proper treatments of fruits to reduce the bacterial contamination and health problems.