Effects of Different Pretreatments on the Helminthological Qualities of Carrots (Daucus Carota Subspecies Sativus) Purchased from Different Markets in Akure, Nigeria

Abstract

Carrots (Daucus Carota Subspecies Sativus) is a root-vegetable that is nutritious and one of the richest sources of beta carotene. The fact that it is a root vegetable makes it prone to helminth contaminations. Carrots can serve as vehicle of transmitting enteric parasitic pathogens throughout the process of planting to consumption. To control the rate of helminth infection through consumption of carrots (a – ready to eat vegetable), the effects of different pretreatments on the helminthological qualities of carrot was investigated. Fresh carrots were purchased from various markets located at different areas of Akure (Oja-Oba, Isinkan, FUTA gate and Shasha), Ondo State, Nigeria. Each sample was kept in different clean polythene bags and labeled appropriately according to the location of purchase and then taken to the Microbiology Research Laboratory at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria (FUTA) for analyses. Fresh carrots were divided into 2; the 1^st group was kept unwashed while the other group was washed with potable water and further subdivided into 5 groups. The first sub-group was left untreated, the second sub-group was soaked in brine (6%), the third sub-group in vinegar (5% acetic acid), fourth sub-group in sodium hypochlorite (0.05%), and the lastsub-group was soaked in moring a seed aqueous extract (468mg per 250ml (w/v)). At different contact times (10minutes, 20minutes, and 30minutes), the helminthological assay was carried out to know the effects of these pretreatments on the helminthological load and types on the surface of carrots. Results from this study show that carrots bought from Shasha market had the highest helminthological contamination while carrots bought from Oja-Oba market and Isinkan market recorded the lowest. The various pretreatments used were able to remove the helminth's ova or larvae found on carrots even at 10 minutes contact time except those washed with potable water and brine. At ≥ 20 minutes contact time, no helminth was found on the carrots. From this finding, it can be concluded that carrots should be properly disinfected using any of the pretreatments mentioned above before consumption to prevent being infected with helminths.