Assessment of the Microbial Contamination of Millet Flour (Pennisetum glaucum) Sold on the Public Markets of Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

The millet flour sale is a very common activity in the markets of Daloa city. Despite its great consumption and its many uses by the Ivorian populations, this millet flour is produced in an artisanal or semi-artisanal way in an uncontrolled environment. This leads to various microbial contaminations thus impacting this flour quality. Our study aimed to assess the microbial contamination of millet flour sold in public markets in Daloa city. A production survey was carried out in order to obtain information on the personal hygiene of the saleswomen as well as the sale conditions. During this study, some physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of 45 flour samples (9 samples per market) were analyzed. The results revealed that the millet flour sale is exclusively carried out by young women (54.5%). In the majority of cases, these women are illiterate (72%) and have inadequate personal hygiene (55%) and an unacceptable sales environment (79%). The millet flour samples are highly contaminated and have a poor microbiological quality. In addition, certain pathogenic species such as coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus have been identified in the flour sold in the Daloa markets. Additionally, pH and humidity varied from sample to sample and from market to market. The presence of these germs would reflect a lack of good millet manufacturing practices, which would represent a danger for consumers. The millet flour sold in the markets would represent a danger for the population consuming millet flour in Daloa city.