| dc.description.abstract | In Tanzania, edible Ruspolia differens are still harvested from the natural environments. In this
perspective, little is known about the microbiological quality of wild harvested R. differens. This
study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of wild harvested R. differens and
evaluate the efficacy of conventional processing methods in reducing microbial load. Two districts (Bukoba rural and Muleba) within the Kagera region were purposively selected for the study. Sampling was done from the same batches along the R. differens food chain as follows:
(a) at harvest points in the villages, (b) after transportation to the market and plucking of wings
and legs, (c) after rinsing with potable tap water, and (d) after processing using conventional
methods. Generally, high microbial counts, that is, total viable aerobic count (TVC), Enterobacter-
iaceae, lactic acid bacteria, bacterial endospores, and yeasts and molds were observed in raw R.
differens samples. A significant increase in microbial counts after transportation and plucking was only observed for TVC, bacterial endospores, and yeasts and molds. A statistically significant reduction in all types of counts, with the exception of bacterial endospores, was observed after processing. All processed samples analyzed were devoid of salmonellae, Listeria monocyto-genes, and Escherichia coli. | en_US |