Bacteriological Assessment of Sliced Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Hawked in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Ready-to-eat fruits are commonly consumed without further processing, increasing the risk of bacterial contamination and food-borne infections. Sliced and hawked fruits, in particular, may be exposed to unhygienic handling and environmental contaminants. This study aimed to assess the bacteriological quality of ready-to-eat sliced/cut pineapple fruits sold in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State, and to identify the associated bacterial contaminants. Materials and Methods: A culture-dependent approach was employed for the isolation of bacteria from sliced pineapple samples collected from different vending locations. Total heterotrophic bacterial counts were determined using standard plate count techniques. Presumptive identification of bacterial isolates was carried out through biochemical characterization following conventional microbiological procedures. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and ANOVA at the 5% level. Results: The total heterotrophic count ranged from 1.0×10⁴ to 1.0×10⁷ CFU/mL, with the highest and lowest counts recorded in samples from Agbowo (Ag1) and Bodija (B1), respectively. A total of 44 bacterial isolates were identified, including Bacillus spp. (7), Citrobacter spp. (2), Enterobacter spp. (5), Escherichia coli (11), Klebsiella spp. (2), Leminorella spp. (1), Morganella spp. (1), Pseudomonasspp. (2), Salmonella spp. (5), andStaphylococcus spp. (8). E. coli showed the highest frequency of occurrence (25.0%), followed by Staphylococcus spp. (18.2%), whileLeminorella spp. andMorganella spp. were least prevalent (2.2% each). Conclusion: The high bacterial loads and presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria indicate poor microbiological quality of the sliced pineapple fruits, rendering them unsafe for human consumption. The findings highlight the need for strict adherence to aseptic handling practices during fruit processing and vending. Future studies should incorporate molecular identification techniques and assess antimicrobial resistance patterns to strengthen food safety surveillance.