An evaluation of the microbiological quality of commonly marketed dietary supplements in retail pharmacies in Kampala City, Uganda

Abstract

Background: Dietary supplements are products that contain concentrated sources of nutrients and whose purpose is to add nutritional value (supplement) to normal diet. One of the critical indicators of the safety of dietary supplements is their microbiological quality. The microbiological quality of dietary supplements relates to the absence or presence of specified objectionable microbial species and by whether the total microbial counts conform to the predetermined specifications. The market entry and post-marketing regulatory framework for dietary supplements are relaxed in most countries compared to medicinal products. This increases the chances that products of nonconforming quality and safety may get onto the market Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of the dietary supplements that were being sold in retail pharmacies in Kampala City, Uganda, Methods and materials: This was a cross-sectional study. It involved establishing the DS that are commonly sold in retail pharmacies in Kampala. In the main study, 72 samples were collected and tested for conformance with the pharmacopeal microbiological quality specifications. Results: There were twenty-four (24) dietary supplement (DS) products found to be commonly sold in retail pharmacies in Kampala and almost all of them (23 products) were imported products. The proportion of DS products with nonconforming microbiological quality was 4%. The proportion of DS products that showed nonconforming microbial counts was also 4%. The exceeding TAMCs was the only non-conformance observed. Excessive fungal counts were not identified in any of the samples; the presence of E. coli or salmonella species was not confirmed in any of the samples surveyed.