(156a) A Study On the Survival of Oral and Faecal Bacteria in Different Beverages

Bacterial contamination of beverages has been a major concern and can cause many health issues. Escherichia coli, Enterococci, Coli forms and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common known bacteria that can be found in beverages such as fruit juices and bottled water and these organisms can thrive well depending on the conditions (e.g. temperature and pH). These beverages sold at all public places and roadside shops and they can become a health concern depending on handling and storage or if the manufacturing process is unsafe.  In this research, five different beverages (spring water, fountain water, fruit juice, lucozade and coke) were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli and survival rate monitored over time under two different temperature (4oC and 22oC) conditions. In this, the effect of storage time and temperature of different beverages on the survival growth of bacteria were studied to assess for the potential risk of food borne illnesses on different beverages. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of the data was conducted to determine and assess the differences in growth rate and for comparison purposes and to know which condition was significant. It was found that temperature was significant in the growth rate of Escherichia coli and both temperature and type of beverage used for the study was significant in the growth rate and survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.