Ultra-clean sugarcane juice contains hundreds of thousands of bacteria

Test results of sugarcane juice samples taken randomly from the "super clean" selling point in HCMC of Hai Dang Chromatography Center showed that aerobic bacteria, Coliforms and mold yeasts surpassed the standards thousands of times.

Test results of sugarcane juice samples in June at Hai Dang Chromatography Center recorded in 1 ml containing 210,000 Coliforms, 490,000 aerobic microorganisms, 18,000 fungal yeast spores. According to Mr. Huynh Ngoc Truong, Head of Microbiology Testing Center, Hai Dang Chromatography Center, the microbiological indexes in this test are 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the target of Maximum Pollution Regulation. Biology and chemistry in food of the Ministry of Health.

Mr. Truong warned that the presence of microorganisms in large quantities like in sugarcane juice could cause a risk of bacterial dysfunction, abdominal pain, and digestive disorders for people to drink.

A spot selling cheap "super-clean" giant sugarcane.(Photo: TN).

The test results of sidewalk sugarcane samples made by HCMC Food Safety Department in the last 2 years also showed that the amount of aerobic microorganisms, Coliforms and E.Coli exceeded the permitted level.

According to Master Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, Deputy Director of HCMC Food Safety, sugarcane juice is a nutritious soft drink familiar to Vietnamese people. However, this type of water is very "sensitive", if processed in poor hygiene conditions, it is very susceptible to infections affecting the health of users.

Ms. Mai said that contaminated sugarcane juice could be caused by many stages. From the time of shaving, sugarcane is left in a damp environment, bacteria enter and weave into the depths of the grain. The process of transporting to small shops is not hygienic, sugarcane is stored improperly, water is not clean so that microorganism can easily penetrate. Some small shops using microbial processing tools and ice cubes are added to sugarcane, increasing the amount of microorganisms. That's why a glass of soft drinks reaches consumers has millions of bacteria.

"Super clean" sugarcane water contains microorganisms exceeding the permitted level.

From the above inspection results, the inter-branch steering committee has asked localities to strengthen inspection and reminding and sanctioning of sugarcane juice businesses that do not ensure food safety. However, the functional force recognized because of the characteristics of small shops selling in the sidewalk "now and there" , so it is difficult to thoroughly control.

On many Ho Chi Minh City routes, there are hundreds of sugarcane vans being advertised as "super clean" with prices ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 VND per glass. In many selling points, pre-processed sugarcane is contained in dirty water tanks with no lids, surrounded by piles of bagasse, flies filled with flies. Each time a customer buys, the owner picks up a tree from the box, wipes it first and presses it on the machine that is not cleaned after each use. The cup of sugarcane juice is only coated with each drink.

Mr. Huu, owner of a sugarcane juice shop in District 7, said most of the sugarcane in the area was taken from a nearby bowl. Every evening, the sugarcane trucks gathered at Lam Van Ben Street for workers to shave. Sugarcane after cleaning the outer shell is piled up in a damp floor to wait for the retailer to sell or to remove the termites for the street vendors.

Doctor Nguyen Xuan Mai, former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Public Health Institute, said that a type of food called clean must meet 3 factors.First, make sure there is no contamination, hair, hair, garbage, shells. The second does not have any chemicals, including preservatives. The third is no microbiological contamination. Sugarcane juice sold in sidewalk shops is contaminated with microbes that cannot be called "clean" or "super clean" , so people should not believe in advertising.

It is recommended to limit the use of drinking water from unsafe roadside restaurants.

Mr. Xuan Mai advised people to protect their health, thus limiting the use of unsafe roadside drinking water. Particularly for those who like to drink sugarcane juice, it is better to buy raw sugarcane and shelled sugarcane for processing.