Chemical and microbiological hazards of Khat (Catha edulis) from field to chewing in Ethiopia
1 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Health Sciences Institute, Jimma University, Ethiopia.
2 Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
3 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Health Sciences Institute, Jimma University, Ethiopia.
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020, 11(01), 024-035.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2020.11.1.0038
Publication history:
Received on 10 February 2020; revised on 02 April 2020; accepted on 04 April 2020
Abstract:
Catha edulis of the plant family Celastraceae commonly named as Khat in Ethiopia is a stimulant plant containing amphetamine-like substances. Fresh Khat leaves described to contain some 60 different constituents. Consumers chew leaves and masticate it for hours. Some users make a paste from dried leaf powder, mixing with sugar and water which is easily chewed and swallowed. In some areas, dried leaves are used as a tea, and also crushed and rolled into cigarettes. Less attention has been directed toward possible chemical and microbial contamination and risky pathways. The aims of this study are 1.Identify the actual Khat production-consumption process from farm to use. 2. Detect chemical and microbial contamination risk of consumable Khat leaf in process 3. Assess the microbiological qualities chewable Khat leaf. Descriptive statistics from the main dataset, for Khat consumption, showed that out of 1169, 564 household heads were Khat consumers and out of these consumers, 347 (62.52%) consume daily. Majority of the pilot study participants (retailers and consumers) confirmed that pesticide chemicals are sprayed on Khat bushes and trees, and Khat farmers disclosed the use of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and Malathion on their farm. The mean CFU/gm was 1.69*10^5 which indicate poor hygiene /handling. Our observation showed that the processes from farming, Transporting, collection, distribution (whole-sellers, retailers) to consumption indicate a potential risk for Khat leaf to become contaminated with Chemicals/ microorganisms.
Keywords:
Khat production and consumption Flowchart; DDT; Malathion; Microorganisms; CFU
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Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0
