Assessment of Physico-Chemical and Microbial Quality of Sugarcane Juice Sold by Street Vendors in Three Regions of Bangladesh

Abstract

Sugar cane juice is a popular refreshing drink in most part of Bangladesh. It has great taste and health benefits; also it is available most of the public places at reasonable prices which consumed by road side customers including general public, shopping personals, tourists, students. In our country, street vendors crushing sugarcane between roller crusher and sold without any heat treatment or preservative, also served with or without added ice and lemon juice. The study aimed to identify and compare the physico-chemical and microbial quality of sugarcane juice. The chemical qualities of juices including moisture, P^H, ash, total soluble solid, total sugar, reducing sugar and titrable acidity were found slightly different in Mymensingh, Gazipur and Narayangonj areas. The highest and lowest value of moisture, ash, P^H, total soluble solids, total sugar, reducing sugar and titrable acidity were found in 84.33% - 79.26% (Gazipur-Mymensingh), 0.57% - 0.04% (Mymensingh-Gazipur), 5.9 - 2.9 (Gazipur-Narayangonj), 17.48% - 4.98% (Mymensingh-Narayangonj), 21.9% - 6.56% (Mymensingh-Gazipur), 3.7 - 2.1 (Gazipur-Mymensingh) and 0.523% - 0.007% (Narayangonj-Gazipur) respectively. For microbiological analysis, the total viable count of sugar cane juice in Mymensingh, Gazipur and Narayangonj were ranged from 0.6 × 10⁵ - 43.6 × 10⁵ cfu/ml, 4.6 × 10⁵ - 21.6 × 10⁵ cfu/ml and 3.6 × 10⁵ - 36.6 × 10⁵ cfu/ml respectively, where the permitted value is 1.0 × 10⁴ cfu/ml, whereas the total coliform count was ranged from 0.4 × 10⁵ - 6.4 × 10⁵ cfu/ml, 0.6 × 10⁵ - 8.4 × 10⁵ cfu/ml and 0.00 - 8.4 × 10⁵ cfu/ml, where the permitted value is 100 cfu/ml and total fungal count was ranged from 5.5 × 10⁵ - 56.5 × 10⁵ cfu/ml, 21.5 × 10⁵ - 54.5 × 10⁵ cfu/ml and 32.5 × 10⁵ - 68.5 × 10⁵ cfu/ml, where the permitted value is 1000 cfu/ml. According to the Gulf standard, the microbiological parameters of all the collected sugar cane juice were out of the permitted standards, so that a serious health outbreak can be caused anytime.