engleski

Microbial populations in medicinal and aromatic plants and herbal teas from Croatia

The type and level of microbial populations in common medicinal and aromatic plants, and in the respective commercial herbal tea mixtures available in Croatia, were examined. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria, spore-formers and moulds had the highest plate counts in the samples. Sulphite-reducing clostridia were also found. Yeast genera Saccharomyces and Candida were detected most often, as well as mould species of genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Mucor, Fusarium, Rhizopus, Absidia, and Trichoderma. The processing of medicinal and aromatic plants seems to increase the microbial populations, and some herbal teas seem to be more prone to such contamination than others.

medicinal and aromatic plants; herbal teas; microbial population; processing

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