Abstract

MICROBIAL LANDSCAPE OF UNPACKED OPAQUE BEER SOLD IN BARS AND SHEBEENS; A CASE STUDY OF KABWE DISTRICT OF ZAMBIA

Malimba Chileshe*, Masule Emmanuel*, Muzyamba Sidney , Kafunda Tuesday, Banda Justina

ABSTRACT

For over a century, opaque beer has been regarded as a socio-cultural fermented beverage in many African countries that holds cultural meaning. In Zambia, this old-time fun favorite weak alcoholic beverage, highly popular among the old has been dated to have been first introduced in the 1950s way before the country attained its independence by Delta Beverages Breweries. In this study, we assessed the microbial load in opaque beer sold in bars and shebeens in Kabwe district of Zambia. The qualitative data were obtained by laboratory analysis. 38 samples were taken at random from bars and shebeens in the Kabwe district. Using conventional methods, the microorganisms were isolated and identified for Total viable count, coliforms, staphylococcus aureus, E-coli, yeast and molds. From the results, The PCA revealed that Total Coliform Count (TCC), Staphylococcus aureus, E-coli and Total Viable Count (TVC) were the most statistically significant factors (p<0.05) influencing the microbial landscape. High positive loadings for TCC (0.58824 on PCA 1) suggested coliform contamination as a primary driver of variability, indicating potential inadequate sanitation during production, processing or handling. This was consistent with previous reports on fermented beverages. The significant contribution of S. aureus (0.79145 on PCA 2) highlights a substantial food safety concern, implying contamination from human handlers or unhygienic environments. TVC also significantly contributed to microbial differentiation, reflecting overall microbial activity. In contrast, E. coli and Yeast and Mold (YM) did not show statistically significant contributions (p>0.05) to the primary components, suggesting their variability was not the main differentiator in this dataset. Furthermore, analysis of individual samples revealed significant variability, with sample 24 exhibiting the highest microbial load and sample 35 the lowest. This disparity underscores inconsistencies in production and handling. The findings collectively emphasize critical hygiene and food safety challenges in opaque beer production.

Keywords: Microbial Load, Opaque beer, Kabwe district, Total viable count, Total Coliforms, E.coli, Staphylococcus, Yeast and Molds.