Some Nutritional and Microbiological Aspects of Apples of Common Varieties Available for Household Consumption

Red delicious, Kala kulu and Golden delicious apples taken from different marketing locations and retail stores during minimum availability period were analyzed for nutritional and microbial quality. Twenty one samples were analyzed for proximate composition and 72 samples were examined for surface contaminants using standard techniques. The highest weights of large, medium and small sized apples belonged to Red delicious variety. Peeling reduced both volume and pH of apple juice extracted. The energy, carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber contents were high in Golden delicious variety while moisture in Kala kulu and the ash contents were high in Red delicious. Bacteriological analysis showed that gram +ive bacteria were the dominant strains associated with apple surface. The most common genus of fungi grown on the surface was Aspergillus and Penicillium. It was observed that washing with cold running tap water reduced the microbial contamination on apple surface.