Assessment of Microbiological Quality of Fura Da Nono Produced in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Fura da Nono is a nutritious and refreshing drink made from fermented milk and ground millet grains. In this study, the microbiology of traditional and small-scale industrial production of Fura da Nono in Birnin Kebbi and Jega was investigated. Samples of Fura da Nono were collected from Birnin Kebbi emir’s palace, Mini Factory JEGA and a local hawker in Jega. Food borne and spoilage pathogens were identified based on their colonial morphology, gram staining reaction and series of biochemical tests. Viable colony counts, coliform test, fungal analysis and pH test were also conducted. The results revealed the highest average count of 1.25×10⁸ cfu/ml in the samples  collected from local hawker while Birnin Kebbi emir’s palace had the lowest average count of 8.3×10⁵ cfu/ml. The bacteria identified in Fura da Nono were Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp, Lactobacillus plantarum and Escherichia coli. The fungi isolated were  Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The highest pH (6.8) was recorded in the sample obtained from local hawker and the lowest (3.1) from the Birnin Kebbi emir’s palace. The study showed the presence of food borne and spoilage pathogens in Fura da Nono which indicates poor hygienic practices during production. Therefore, in order to produce commercial Furada Nono either at large or small-scale quantity, it is necessary to improve the acceptability, microbiological stability and hygiene of the product.