Assessment of microbiological quality of syrup and water used in pharmaceutical industries in Kano state, Nigeria

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry is an essential element of health care system all over the globe, in as much as discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals for human health is of paramount importance. This research was conducted to evaluate the microbiological quality of syrups and water used in pharmaceutical industries selected in Kano State, Nigeria. The selected industries are coded as: Industry A and B. Parameters such as aerobic mesophilic bacterial and fungal count, coliform count and identifications were carried out. Data obtained from the study showed that all the syrup sampled were bacteriologically safe. All plate count of syrups did not exceed the United States Pharmacopoeia acceptable criteria, negative for Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia coli. The levels of coliform contamination in all the analyzed samples (water and syrup) were within the acceptable limit of Most Probable Number (MPN) £10. Analyzed water samples also did not exceed the World Health Organization suggested microbial limit for facility water except one which gave 1.2 × 10² , but yet, within the limit for alert. Objectionable organisms were as well not detected except Alcaligenes faecalis and Providencia sp. Fungi isolated from this study includes Aspergillus niger, A. amstelodami, Mucor racmosios, Penicillium spinulosum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It can be concluded that the microbial limit of the industries assessed are within the limit stipulated by pharmacopoeia.

Keywords: Pharmaceutical industries, Microbiological quality, Pharmacopoeia.