Abstract

Rabilé is a ferment of local beer called “dolo” in Burkina Faso. It is used for local beer production and as condiment in sauces. Its process of production could be a source of contamination. So the quality of ferment needs to be guaranteed for consumers’ health. The aim of the study was to control the hygienic quality of local ferment consumed in Burkina Faso. A total of 70 samples were purchased in seven localities of Burkina Faso. The standard plate count method was used for microbial analysis. The results show that aerobic mesophilic flora varied from 8.34 ± 0.72 to 10.07 ± 0.51 log₁₀ UFC.g^-1; yeast and mold from 7.24 to 8.28 log₁₀ UFC.g^-1; Staphylococcus aureus from 4.08 to 4.76 log₁₀ UFC.g^-1; Enterococci from 3.47 to 4.61 log₁₀ UFC.g^-1 and total coliform from 2.12 to 2.32 log₁₀ UFC.g^-1. Salmonella spp. and Shiguella spp. were not detected in any of the samples. So, 100% of the samples from Ouahigouya were contaminated with sulphite reducing bacteria (BRS). All the samples analyzed were contaminated by S. aureus and Enterococci. The hygienic control of the ferment showed that the contamination caused by food borne pathogens can lead to food poisoning. Pearson correlation matrix of microorganisms’ distribution in the samples showed highest positive correlation between Enterococci and sulphite reducing bacteria at r = 0.888. Analysis of principal components exhibited the variability of microbial groups with 94.312% cumulative values of the variance and Eigen values ranging between 0.492 and 3.695. The data suggested that traditional beer ferments samples collected were not suitable in quality and there is need to ameliorate the process of production.

Key words: Local ferment, dolo, hygienic quality, food, Burkina Faso.