ABSTRACT

Safety of food is a basic requirement of food quality. A total of 13 street food samples (Jollof rice, egwusi soup and salad) were randomly purchased from five different vendors in Umudike, Abia state and were transported to the laboratory. The samples were bacteriologically analyzed using pour plate technique and sub-culture. All the screened food samples had varying levels of bacterial growth ranging from 1.0 × 105 to 2.9 × 106 cfu/ml which was significant, ninety percent of the sampled foods had bacterial counts above the acceptable limits (104 cfu.ml) and 10% of the samples had bacterial counts less than (< 104 cfu/ml) which was less significant. Six bacteria species were isolated from the foods sampled. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus isolated was 17.1%, Bacillus cereus 22.9%, Vibrio spp 34.2%, Salmonella spp 17.1% and Shigella spp 8.6%. More than one pathogenic micro organisms were isolated from jollof rice. The findings revealed that street foods are potential vehicles for transmitting food borne illness thus the need to develop practical strategies geared toward street food safety.

TABLE CONTENTS

Title page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgments iv

Table of contents v

List of tables vii

Abstract viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Aims and Objectives 4

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature Review 5

2.1 Food Hygiene 7

2.2 Factors that Contribute to Food Borne Illness 7

2.3 Food borne disease 14

2.4 Pre-disposing factors to food-borne illnesses 14

2.5 prevention of food-borne illness 15

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Materials 18

3.1.1 Sample collection 18

3.2 Methods 18

3.2.1 Culture of sample (pour plate) 19

3.2.3 Sub-culturing of the culture 19

3.2.4 Gram’s staining 20

3.2.5 Catalase test 20

3.2.6 Methyl red test 20

3.2.7 Citrate utilization test 21

3.2.8 Oxidase test 21

3.2.9 Vogas Proskaeur test 21

3.2.10 Coagulase test 22

3.2.11 Indole test 22

3.2.12 Motility test 23

3.2.13 Statistical analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Results 24

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Discussion 30

5.2 Conclusion 31

5.3 Recommendations 32

REFERENCES

APPENDICES