Bacteriological quality assessment of some ready to eat food sold in Kust Wudil campus

Abstract

Food borne illness as a result of microbial contamination of foods is an important public health problem that needs to be addressed. Studies on bacteriological quality of some ready to eat foods sold in Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil campus was carried out. A total of ten (10) samples of ready to eat foods (Jollof rice, Moi-moi, rice and stew, Dumplings and Massa) were randomly collected from different food vendors and restaurants in KUST, Wudil campus. Bacteriological analysis were carried out to determine the aerobic plate count, total coliform count as well as isolation and identification of bacteria of public health importance using standard microbiological methods. The viable mesophilic bacterial counts of the food samples were ranged from 3.7x10³ to 7.6X10⁴cfu/g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Salmonella species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Shigella species were isolated across all the food samples. Microbiological quality control programs and aseptic techniques of the food handling for
food vendors and food safety practices should be encouraged, local processors of foods should be enlightened on hygienic methods of processing, preservation and storage of the foods.