MICROBIAL QUALITY OF LOCALLY AND INDUSTRIALLY PROCESSED PLANTAIN CHIPS PACKAGED IN POLYETHYLENE

ABSTRACT

Local and industrial plantain chips sold in three selected locations (Ubakala, Express Tower and Okpara Square) in Umuahia Metropolis were purchased and subjected to microbiological analysis. Thirty sample of locally processed plantain chips and thirty sample of industrially processed plantain chips was used. The media used for isolation include Nutrient agar, MacConkey  agar, and Sabourand dextrose agar.  Samples were investigated for coliform count using  MacConkey agar, total viable count using Nutrient agar, and fungi count using Sabourand dextrose agar with  pour plate techniques. The organism  were further identified using standard methods. The value of total viable count of both local plantain chips range 5.66×10^6to 8.15×10^4 and industrial plantain chips range 1.96×10^6 to 2.66×10^5. The value of coliform  count of  local  plantain chips range from 2.08×10^6 to 3.44×10^4 and industrial plantain chips range from 2.43×10^5 to 3.56×10^6. Fungal count of local plantain chips range from 5.24×10^4 to 6.23×10^(5 ) and industrial plantain chips range from 1.80×10^6 to3.24×10^4. The organism identified include; Escherichia  coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp,  and Bacillus spp.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page ﾿ i

Certification ﾿ ii

Dedication ﾿ iii

Acknowledgement ﾿ iv

Table of contents ﾿ v

List of tables ﾿ vii

Abstract ﾿ viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  Introduction ﾿ 1

﾿ Aim and objective.  ﾿ 3

CHAPTER TWO

2.0  Literature review ﾿ 4

2.1   Hazard analysis and critical control point ﾿ 5

2.2   Health benefits of plantain ﾿ 7

2.2.1 ﾿ Facts about plantain chips nutrition ﾿ 7

2.3. ﾿ Health risk of plantain chips ﾿ 8

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 ﾿ Materials and methods. ﾿ 10

3.1 ﾿ Collection of sample ﾿ 10

3.2 ﾿ Sterilization of materials and media used ﾿ 10

3.3 ﾿ Microbiological analysis ﾿ 11

3.4 ﾿ Gram stain ﾿ 11

3.5 ﾿ Oxidase test ﾿ 12

3.6        Citrate utilization test ﾿ 12

3.7 ﾿ Catalase test ﾿ 13

3.8 ﾿ Motility ﾿ 13

3.9 ﾿ Coagulase test ﾿ 13

CHAPTER  FOUR

4.0  Result ﾿ 14

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Discussion and Conclusion ﾿ 20

5.1 Conclusion ﾿ 21

REFERENCES ﾿ 23

LIST OF TABLES

Table1: ﾿ Total viable count for local and industrial plantain chips ﾿ 15    ﾿

Table 2: ﾿ Total coliform count for local and industrial plantain chips ﾿ 16

Table 3: ﾿     Total fungi count for local industrial plantain chips            ﾿ 17    ﾿

Table 4: ﾿ Identification and characteristics of fungal isolate ﾿ 18 ﾿

Table 5: ﾿ Morphological and biochemical characteristics of bacteria isolates ﾿ 19

Table 6: Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates ﾿ 20