Effects of Depuration, Soaking Duration and Seasons on the Microbial Counts of Periwinkle (Tympanotonus fuscatus) Harvested from Two Locations in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of the time interval of depuration and soaking at different seasons on the elimination or  reduction of total microbial count in Periwinkle from Slaughter and Abuloma, a polluted creek in Rivers State, Nigeria. Periwinkles (T.  fuscatus) were handpicked from the sediment in the creeks at low tide. There were decreases in some of the microbial populations from  0-96 hours depuration. At Slaughter, there was no significant (p≥0.05) difference in the total heterotrophic bacteria of the samples at  different time intervals of depuration at both seasons. There was a significant (p<0.05) difference in the different time intervals of  soaking  in the THBC count at different seasons. A similar trend was observed for hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria at different time intervals  of soaking and depuration at both seasons and locations. At Abuloma, the total fungi count (TFC) was highest at 0 hour depuration (72.33 ± 2.51) and reduced drastically from 72 hours (17.00± 2.00) to 96 hours (13.66 ± 3.51) during the dry season. During the  wet season, there was no significant (p≥0.05) difference between 24-96 hours of depuration. A similar trend was detected for faecal  coliform count for Abuloma and Okujagu at different time intervals of soaking and depuration The hydrocarbon utilizing fungi count  decreased as the depuration process progressed at both seasons. This trend was also observed for soaking and depuration time in both  seasons. Depuration of periwinkle at different time intervals was faster in reducing the microbial count than soaking at different locations  in both seasons.