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Received Jul 30, 2017; Revised Nov 19, 2017; Accepted Nov 28, 2017
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1. Introduction
Yoghurt consumption has become very popular in Cameroon ever since the production of locally made yoghurt started. Yoghurt in itself is a very nutritious diet [1] for people across all age groups. Yoghurt quality varies from one producer to another as there is no well-described standard for its production. In Cameroon, it is generally produced with leftover “shalom yaourt” or any commercial brand of yoghurt (Camlait or Dolait) for fermentation [2]. Consumers are becoming more inquisitive about the quality of these fermented products due to episodes of diarrhoea they experienced at times. Its high and easily assimilable nutritive value provides a suitable environment for microbial contamination, proliferation, and spoilage. Microbial contamination can lead to food poisoning outbreaks and unsatisfactory products [3] and this is an enormous economic problem worldwide. Unsafe food is still an important threat in most developing countries, especially in Africa [4, 5]. Microbial contamination and foodborne microbial diseases constitute a large and growing public health concern. In fact, most countries with case-reporting systems have documented significant increases over the past few decades in foodborne microbial diseases incidence [6]. Milk is a highly nutritious food that serves as an excellent growth medium for a wide range of microorganisms [7]. Through microbial activity alone, approximately one-fourth of the world’s food supply is lost [8]. Undesirable microbes that can cause spoilage of dairy products include Gram-negative psychrotrophs, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and moulds. For this reason, increased emphasis should be placed on the microbiological examination of dairy products.
Food safety challenges in Africa include unsafe water and poor environmental hygiene, weak foodborne disease surveillance, inability of small and medium scale producers to provide safe food,...