Microbiological safety and physicochemical composition of Bongo, a traditional fermented milk product from Lyantonde district, Uganda

Abstract

Traditional fermented dairy products, including Bongo, are an important emerging market owing to their nutritional benefits and probiotic potential. Production of Bongo is unstandardized, unregulated and may raise public safety concerns. Microbial counts and physicochemical parameters (n = 30 Bongo samples), production protocol, and hygiene practices of processors (n = 15) were evaluated. Over 93.3% of the products were contaminated with potentially pathogenic microbes including Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Sulphur reducing clostridia, Enterococcus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. About 40% of the samples had pH ≥ 4.0. Most processors had inadequate hygiene practices which compromised product safety. These results indicate the need for developing product specifications, training processors in good food safety practices and enforcing relevant regulations.

Keywords

• Bongo
• Milk
• Fermented foods
• Safety
• Public health