title: Assessment of Microbial Load of Un-pasteurized Fruit Juices and in vitro Antibacterial Potential of Honey Against Bacterial Isolates.
abstract: The development of resistance in bacteria against commonly used antibiotics/drugs is of considerable medical significance. Aim of this study was to determine the microbial load of un-pasteurized packed fruit juices sold in Lahore city and to determine antibacterial activity of five different honey samples against isolated bacteria. Unpasteurized fruit juice samples (n=60) were collected from street vendors. All the samples were subjected to Total viable count (TVC), Staphylococcal count (SC) and Coliform count (CC). One hundred and ten strains of bacteria were isolated from various fruit juices and identified on the basis of cultural characters, morphology and biochemical characters. Mean TVCs, SCs and CCs of juices (6.80±1.91, 5.45±1.06 and 3.25±1.25 log10 CFU/ml respectively) were non-significant with standard permissible limits (p<0.05). Among all the fruit juices, 66.66% of samples had TVC more than 4 log10 CFU/ml, 51.66% of samples had SC more than 3 log10 CFU/ml and 46.66% of samples had CC more than 2 log10 CFU/ml. Among the bacillus isolates purified, were Bacillus alvei, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus polymyxa, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Enterobecter. All five different types of honey samples used in this study showed antibacterial activity against B. alvei, B. polymyxa, B. subtilis and S. aureus and no activity against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, Enterobecter and E. coli. It is concluded that microbial load in unpasteurized fruit juices is significantly higher than standard permissible limits which insinuates its possible role in spoilage and food borne illnesses. Periodic monitoring of packed fruit juices should be carried out to make them safe for consumption. Honey can be used as an alternative for treatment of various infections, especially those caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria.
authors.affiliation: The School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; ; Department of Microbiology, ; Department of Zoology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
authors.forename: Muhammad Naeem
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology.
authors.forename: Aftab Ahmad
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Anjum
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology.
authors.forename: Muhammad Asad
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology.
authors.forename: Firasat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
authors.forename: Shahzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irfan
authors.affiliation: National Academy of Young Scientists (NAYS).
authors.forename: Aftab
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irfan
authors.affiliation: COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Asghar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shabbir
keywords: Antibacterial activity; Unpasteurized fruit juices; contamination; honey; hygienic quality; microorganism