Microbial quality of some medicinal herbal products in Kashan, Iran

Introduction: The use of medicinal plants has risen worldwide. In Iran, herbal waters and rose waters are of traditional medicinal products and as a result, they are widespreadly consumed. Therefore, diagnosis of microbial quality of these products is important. The aim of this study was to evaluate microbial quality of herbal extracts distributed in Kashan, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive study, ۲۵۶ samples of herbal waters and ۱۹۱ samples of rose waters (total samples of ۴۴۷) distributed in Kashan during ۲۰۱۲ to ۲۰۱۳ were purchased and transferred to laboratory. Then microbial tests such as total aerobic bacterial count, mold and yeast count, total coliforms, and detection of Enterococcus, Pseudomonas and sulphite-reducing Clostridia were evaluated based on national standard of Iran. Results: Contamination with Pseudomonas and Enterococcus was observed in the herbal water samples. ۱۹۶ cases (۴۳.۸۴%) of the total samples, ۱۱۳ cases (۴۴.۱۵%) of the herbal waters and ۸۳ cases (۴۳.۴۵%) of the rose waters were usable based on the national standard of Iran. Neither herbal waters nor rosewater samples were contaminated by E.Coli and Sulphite-reducing clostridia. Additionally, none of the rosewater samples was contaminated by Coliforms and Pseudomonas. Conclusion: Based on the findings and due to the fact that these products are contaminated with aerobic mesophilic bacteria, mold and yeast, to minimize the risks we recommend to apply pasteurized temperature, high-quality packaging material and hygiene observance in processing time of herbal waters and rose waters.