Microbial and sensory quality of powdered beverage produced from blends of baobab pulp and moringa leave during storage

The study investigated the microbial and sensory quality of powdered beverages produced from blends of baobab pulp and moringa leave flour. Samples were prepared and stored in sterile plastic containers and bottles, were stored  at room temperature 27±2 0c and in the refrigerator for 21days.  Sensory evaluation was done using the following parameters, appearance, mouth fill, taste, flavor and general acceptability. The samples most preferred in relation to all the parameters tested is samples A and B.  Total aerobic plate count of the bacterial cells for control samples A-E ranged from  5.2×106_ 8.2×106.  cfu/ml Samples A-E ranged from 8.5 x 105 - 3.04×107 for plastic container and  1.15×105-1.6×107  for  samples stored in bottles  at room temperature ,while samples stored in the refrigerator ranged from 5.6 x 105 – 2.3x107 for plastic containers and bottles 4.6 x 106 – 9.5x106 for week one. For week two samples A-E for plastic and bottles ranged from 3.7 x 105 -   8.5×105   and   3.2 ×105 - 9.6 x 106 for samples stored at room temperature and refrigerator respectively. For week three samples A-E stored in plastics and bottles at room temperature and refrigeration ranged from 3.5x105-1.7x106 and 1.0x105 – 3.0 x 105. The bacterial isolates were characterized using morphological, biochemical tests and the identity of the isolates were confirmed with a microgen test kit .The species of bacteria  identified includes: Bacillus Spp, Escherica coli, Klebsiella  pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonelia typhi and shiegella. From this study it shows that the baobab pulp and moringa leave flour blend beverage should be stored in the refrigerator or consumed immediately after processing in order to maintain its organoleptic properties and avoid microbial contamination.