| Summary: | Vegetables are widely exposed to microbial contamination, thus, harbor diverse microorganisms which may lead to infection outbreak. Microbial load on lettuce was estimated in this study, with vinegar, as a disinfecting agent. Randomly purchased samples were analyzed using standard microbiological methods to estimate microbial load in relation to disinfectant concentration and exposure time. Microbial load of samples rinsed with sterile distilled (control experiment) and tap water were 3.8 × 106CFU/g and 4.0 × 106 CFU/g, while those rinsed with vinegar ranged from 1.0 × 105 CFU/g to 2.7 × 106 CFU/g. Upon subjection to different exposure times (0, 5, 10 min) and vinegar concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%), gradual reduction in microbial load was observed from 2.9 × 107 CFU/g, when rinsed with 0.5% vinegar to 1.0 × 106 CFU/g with 2.0% vinegar at initial time (0 min), at 5 min exposure, microbial load reduced from 1.9 × 107 CFU/g at 1.0% concentration to 3.0 × 105 CFU/g with 2.0% vinegar concentration, while the exposure of lettuce to 2.0% vinegar concentration for 10 min, showed no observable microbial growth. Lettuce samples analyzed were heavily contaminated with microorganisms, however, 2% vinegar at 10 min exposure time, was most effective at eliminating microbes. Healthy-looking vegetables may possibly harbor microorganisms, as such, good sanitary measures should be adopted before consumption.
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