ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Cleusa Fernandes Ramos1, Andreia Assuncao Soares2 , Isabela Carvalho dos Santos3, Felipe Andre Pereira Ramos4, Odair Alberton5, Luciana Kazue Otutumi6, Lidiane Nunes Barbosa6, Ricardo de Melo Germano7, Daniela Dib Goncalves8and Luiz Sergio Merlini9
1Master in Animal Science with an Emphasis on Bioactive Products, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
2Professor at Post-Graduation Programs in Animal Science with an Emphasis in Bioactive Products and Professional Master’s Degree in Medicinal and Phytotherapic Plants at Primary Care, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
3Doctoral student in the Post-Graduation Program in Animal Science with an Emphasis on Bioactive Products, (Scholarship holder PROSUP / CAPES, UNIPAR-PR); Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
4Master’s student of the Post-Graduation Program in Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines at Primary Care, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
5Professor at Post-Graduation Program – Professional Master’s Degree in Medicinal Plants and Phytotherapies at Primary Care, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
6Professor of the Post-Graduation Program in Animal Science with an Emphasis on Bioactive Products, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
7Professor of Post-Graduation Programs in Animal Science with an Emphasis in Bioactive Products and Professional Master’s Degree in Medicinal and Phytotherapeutic Plants at primary care, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
8Professor of Post-Graduation Programs in Animal Science with an Emphasis in Bioactive Products and Professional Master’s Degree in Medicinal and Phytotherapeutic Plants at Atencao Basica, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
9Professor of the Post-Graduation Program in Animal Science with an Emphasis on Bioactive Products, Paranaense University (UNIPAR), Umuarama, Parana, Brazil.
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2020;14(3):1817-1823 | Article Number: 6293
https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.14.3.20 | © The Author(s). 2020
Received: 01/05/2020 | Accepted: 24/08/2020 | Published: 16/09/2020
Abstract

The verification of microorganisms that indicate contamination of medicinal plants cultivated in vegetable gardens is fundamental to contribute and improve the conditions and management of the garden, providing safer and healthier food for the consumer population. The study aims to evaluate the bacteriological quality of Cymbopogon citratus, Aloysia citriodora, Plectranthus barbalus, Aloe vera (L.) Burm. F., Sedum dendroideum, and Peumus boldus cultivated in community gardens. Six samples were randomly collected from each plant and sent to the Laboratory of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Universidade Paranaense-UNIPAR, for bacteriological analysis (aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, total coliforms and coliforms at 45ºC. The cold extract (room temperature) of the medicinal plants evaluated, the Plectranthus barbalus had the highest mean for aerobic mesophiles (1.26 CFU/g x 106) and the Cymbopogon citratus second highest mean for aerobic mesophiles (9.80 CFU/g x 105). In the coliform count at 45°C, the highest mean was found in the Aloysia citriodora (2.90 CFU/g x 103) and it presented the second lowest mean for coliforms at 45°C (0.63 CFU/g x 103) and was zero for total coliforms. Regarding the hot extract (95°C-100°C) of the medicinal plants evaluated, a significantly higher aerobic mesophiles count was found for Aloysia citriodora when compared with Aloe vera (L.) Burm. F., Sedum dendroideum and Peumus boldus, not differing statistically from Cymbopogon citratus and Plectranthus barbalus. It was found that medicinal plants are contaminated but, since they are indicated as teas (infusion), they are safe for their consumers because the risk of bacteriological contamination can be considerably eliminated or reduced due to the boiling process.

Keywords

Aerobic Mesophiles, Food Safety, Microbiology, Public Health, Total Coliforms

Article Metrics

Article View: 2075

Share This Article

© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.