Assessment of microbiological safety and antidiarrheal effect of cassava- based mahewu (non-alcoholic fermented beverage) in Maputo province, Mozambique

Abstract

Cassava-based mahewu is a traditional non-alcoholic fermented beverage produced and consumed, primarily in informal settings. Despite its growing consumption, no study has investigated its microbiological safety and antidiarrheal effect in Maputo province of Mozambique from one production unit. This study aims to assess the microbial safety and antidiarrheal properties of cassava-based mahewu produced in Maputo, Mozambique. Experimental laboratory-based design employed comprising two complementary components. For the microbiological assessment, twenty-five samples of cassava-based mahewu (250 mL each) were analyzed for E. coli, Salmonella, yeast and mould, Staphylococcus aureus, and total mesophilic bacteria count following ISO-referenced methods. On the other hand, antidiarrheal evaluation comprised of three independent experiments, each using thirty adult male BALB/c mice randomly allocated to six different groups: treatment group 1 (TG1) receiving castor oil and 3ml/kg mahewu, treatment group 2 (TG2) receiving castor oil and 5ml/kg mahewu, treatment group 3 (TG3) receiving castor oil and 10ml/kg mahewu, standard group (SDG) receiving castor oil and loperamide, positive control group (PCG) receiving castor oil and food and water, and negative control receiving food and water only to check for diarrhoea onset latency, stool frequency and consistency, body weight changes, and food and water intake. Data were analyzed using Stata version 17.0, using one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results show that cassava-based mahewu was free from Salmonella spp, E. coli and S. aureus across all 25 samples. The overall mean total aerobic mesophilic count was 2.88 log₁₀ CFU/mL and the overall mean of yeast and mould count was 3.7 log₁₀ CFU/mL. The antidiarrheal evaluation showed that cassava-based mahewu at 10 mL/kg demonstrated the highest antidiarrheal property. There was significant difference in antidiarrheal effects between TG2, TG3, and SDG compared with PCG (p<0.001) and no significant difference observed between TG1 and PCG (p=0.1). Overall, cassava-based mahewu showed a good microbiological safety profile, with 88 % of the samples fulfilling bacterial pathogen regulations. The product demonstrated antidiarrheal effects at the doses tested. Food safety regulators must develop product-specific microbiological standards and producers must adopt standardized hygiene protocols during production. Future research should investigate higher doses to further evaluate the functional health potential of this beverage.