EVALUATING MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN CANNED TOMATO PASTE.

ABSTRACT Tomato paste is widely consumed in many households and serves as an important dietary component; however, microbial contamination remains a major public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of canned tomato paste samples with emphasis on bacterial and fungal loads. Ten samples of canned tomato paste were randomly collected and subjected to microbial enumeration using Nutrient Agar (NA) for total bacterial counts, MacConkey Agar (MAC) for coliform counts, and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) for fungal counts following standard microbiological procedures. The results showed that the total bacterial counts ranged from 1.0 × 104 to 1.6 × 104 CFU/mL, coliform counts from 1.6 × 103 to 2.5 × 103 CFU/mL, and fungal counts from 3.1 × 105 to 3.9 × 105 CFU/mL. These values indicate varying degrees of microbial contamination, with fungal loads comparatively higher than bacterial counts across the samples. Bacterial isolates identified included Bacillus coagulans (30%), Streptococcus lactis (20%), Staphylococcus aureus (20%), Leuconostoc spp. (20%) and Clostridium sporogenes (10%), with B.coagulans being the most prevalent and C. sporogenes the least. Fungal isolates were also identified which comprised of Aspergillus niger (33%) Penicillin spp. (20%), Saccharomyces spp. (20%), Candida spp. (20%) and mucor spp. (10%), with A. niger occurring most frequently and mucor spp. the least. The findings suggest lapses in processing or post-processing handling, which may pose health risks to consumers and concludes that although the microbial levels were within moderate ranges, consistent contamination raises concerns about product safety. Therefore, it is recommended that processing industries strengthen Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), adopt strict Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) measures, improve sterilization and packaging procedures to ensure food safety.