Hygiene Practices and Microbial Contamination of Liquid Gapal Sold in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Tankoano Abel *

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT), Western Regional Direction (DRO/Bobo-Dioulasso), 03 BP 2393, Bobo-Dioulasso 03, Burkina Faso.

Somda Namwin Siourimè

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT), Western Regional Direction (DRO/Bobo-Dioulasso), 03 BP 2393, Bobo-Dioulasso 03, Burkina Faso.

Guira Flibert

Agri-Food Department, Centre Universitaire de Gaoua, Université Nazi Boni, Burkina Faso.

Pare Adama

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT) 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.

Tiral Rahma Zeynab

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT) 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso and Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Mohammedia, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Environment and Agri-Food (LBEA), Hassan II, University of Casablanca, BP 146 Mohammedia 28806, Morocco.

Ouedraogo Bénéwendé Toussaint

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT) 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.

Safi Amal

Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Mohammedia, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Environment and Agri-Food (LBEA), Hassan II, University of Casablanca, BP 146 Mohammedia 28806, Morocco.

Kabore Donatien

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT) 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.

Sawadogo-Lingani Hagrétou

Food Technology Department (DTA), Food Science, Technology and Nutrition Laboratory (LabSTAN), Research Institute for Applied and Technological Sciences (IRSAT) 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.


Abstract

Aims: Liquid gapal is a fermented food prepared mainly from millet paste and milk, and is increasingly consumed in Burkina Faso's major cities. This study aims to contribute to knowledge of the microbiological quality of liquid gapal marketed in Ouagadougou.

Methodology: To achieve this objective, we surveyed eleven (11) gapal producers located in ten (10) different districts of the city. Thirty-three (33) samples of liquid gapal randomly collected at a rate of three (3) samples per producer were then analyzed using standard microbiological analyzes methods.

Results: The results showed that some producers had poor control over good hygiene and production practices. The use of public mills to grind millet and lack of backup power systems that can contribute to promote microbial contamination. Microbiological analyzes showed that the level of microbiological contamination varied from one gapal producer to another. Microbial loads varied from 4.9 to 8.1log10 CFU/mL for total aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, 4.3 to 5.7 log10 CFU/mL for yeasts and moulds, 4.6 to 8.8 log10 CFU/mL for lactic acid bacteria, 1.4 to 4.6 log10 CFU/mL for enterobacteria, 0.8 to 4.6 log10 CFU/mL for thermotolerant coliforms, ˂1.0 UFC/mL to 3.7 log10 CFU/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 0.6 to 3.0 log10 CFU/mL for Bacillus cereus.

Conclusion: These results underline the need to strengthen the capacities of these gapal producers in order to improve the quality of the products they marketed.

Keywords: Gapal, microbiological quality, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterobacteriaceae


How to Cite

Abel, Tankoano, Somda Namwin Siourimè, Guira Flibert, Pare Adama, Tiral Rahma Zeynab, Ouedraogo Bénéwendé Toussaint, Safi Amal, Kabore Donatien, and Sawadogo-Lingani Hagrétou. 2025. “Hygiene Practices and Microbial Contamination of Liquid Gapal Sold in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso”. Biotechnology Journal International 29 (1):11-21. https://doi.org/10.9734/bji/2025/v29i1761.