Bacteriological Assessment of Hawked Sorrel Drink (Zobo Drink) in Aba, South-East Nigeria

Bacteriological investigation of hawked Sorrel drink (zobo drink) was carried out in Aba, South-east Nigeria, between January and March, 2014. Zobo drink is a non-alcoholic local beverage made from different varieties of dried petals, acid succulent aqueous extract of calyx of roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa. It is consumed in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Samples of zobo drink were randomly purchased from the open markets, for a period of three months and analyzed for bacteriological qualities using standard methods. The result revealed a total aerobic bacterial count ranging from 0.3 × 106 cfu/ml to 4.4× 106 cfu/ml while the total coliform count ranged from 0.1 × 105cfu/ml to 6.5 × 105 cfu/ml. The control sample gave 0.8 ×106 cfu/ml and 0.1 × 105cfu/ml for aerobic bacterial and coliform count respectively. All the screened samples including the control sample had total aerobic bacterial count above the acceptable limit of <104cfu/ml. The contamination of the control samples could likely come from the spices (grounded) and additives which are usually added raw, since the appropriate hygienic standards were maintained during preparation. A total of five bacterial isolates were identified, which include Escherisha coli, Staphylococcus spp, Lactobacillus spp, Bacillus spp and Pseudomonas spp. Personal and environmental hygiene is required during production, packaging and preservation of zobo to avoid food borne illnesses.