IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

RESEARCH JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND QUALITY CONTROL (RJFSQC )

E-ISSN 2504-6145
P-ISSN 2695-2459
VOL. 10 NO. 6 2024
DOI: 10.56201/rjfsqc.v10.no6.2024.pg111.118

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Evaluating pH and Electrical Conductivity as Safety Indicators in Palmwine drinks consumed in Onuebom Community, South-South Nigeria

Isaac U. Isaac and Iheoma M. Adekunle

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Abstract

A popular indigenous beverage in Nigeria and other tropical parts of Africa, palm wine is a naturally fermented beverage made from the sap of palm palms. Despite being a culturally significant beverage, the study evaluated the two most important safety factors (pH and electrical conductivity) in locally made, widely consumed beverages in Niger Delta areas. Samples of fresh palmwine obtained from Onuebom, a nearby community around 5 km away, where the beverage is widely available to consumers and retailers, were taken three times in a row with the same volume, location, and interval during the studies, which took place between January 2013 and February 2015. Two liters of palm wine each were bought from five separate vendors in the same neighborhood and delivered to the Federal University Otuoke chemistry laboratory and was preserved in a refrigerated at 40C as soon as they arrived. More so, the effect of a common consumer habit (CCH) of dilution of palmwine drink with water before consumption on pH and EC values of the drink was also studied. The percent (%) water to palm wine mix were 0, 50, 67, 75 and 80, corresponding to dilution factors of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. A calibrated pH meter and an electrical conductivity meter were used to analyse the samples following standard procedures in replicates for both parameters. A total of 450 (140 neat and 310 diluted) samples were analyzed for pH and EC. Results revealed substantial variations in both pH (3.19 to 5.96) and EC (424 to 2443 ?S/cm). The study employed statistical analyses, including One-Way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests, to assess the differences between dilution levels. Correlation analysis revealed a moderate inverse relationship between pH and EC (r = -0.56, p < 0.05), indicating that higher EC values are associated with lower pH. These findings have significant implications for the health and safety of consumers, as low pH and high EC can lead to potential

keywords:

Palmwine, pH, Electrical Conductivity, Safety, Health Implications, Onuebom

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