Microbial Contamination of Selected Herbal Dietary Supplements in Typical Tropical Markets

Abstract

A total of ten dietary supplement samples comprising Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Cyperus esculentus, Piper guineense, Afromomun melegueta, Allium cepa, Ocimum basilicum, Curcuma longa and Monodora myristica were obtained from different markets in Abeokuta, Ilaro and Sango areas of Ogun State and analyzed for fungal contamination and the presence of bacteria. Results indicated that the highest mould and yeast counts of 2.5 x10⁴ colony forming units (cfu) per gram were found in Cyperus esculentus and Ocimum basilicum while the lowest of 2.5 x 10² were found in Zingiber officinale and Piper guineense. The most common fungi were Aspergilli flavus, Aspergillus niger, followed by Fusarium and yeasts. The highest plate count numbers (ranging from 1.1 x 10⁵ to 2.9 x 10⁵) were recovered from Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, Cyperus esculentus and Allium cepa whereas the lowest (2.5x10⁴cfu/g) were found in Afromomun melegueta.