Microbiology of retail mung bean sprouts vended in public markets of National Capital Region, Philippines

This study is the first attempt in the Philippines to conduct a region-wide assessment of the microbiological quality of retailed mung bean sprouts. Production and vending practices of selected stakeholders were also determined. Ninety-four percent of the samples tested positive for the presence of Salmonella spp. and some samples had Coliform and Escherichia coli counts as high as 5.90 and 5.50 log10 CFU · g−1, respectively. The TPC, YMC and LAB were established to be as high as 11.38, 5.90 and 10.47 log10CFU · g−1, respectively. The poor microbiological quality of most of the tested sprouts was attributed to unhygienic sprout production and retailing practices. To improve the microbiological quality of the retailed sprouts, adherence to sprouting industry best practices is strongly recommended.