ABSTRACT

This study was aimed at evaluating the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat Ugba sold within Umuahia metropolis. A total of fifty (50) samples of Ugba were collected from different sales point comprising of twenty-five (25) nylon packaged Ugba and twenty-five (25) leaf wrapped Ugba in five (5) different markets within Umuahia metropolis. The samples were processed aseptically in sterile peptone water and diluted serially in the 10-fold serial dilution. Appropriate diluents were inoculated into Nutrient agar for total bacteria count. The samples were also inoculated into MacConkey agar for total coliform count, de Man Rogosa Sharpe agar for lactic acid bacteria count and Sabouraud dextrose agar for fungal count. The bacterial isolates identified based on their morphological and biochemical characteristics were Bacillus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Micrococcus species, Lactobacillus brevis, Enterobacter species and Proteus species while the fungal isolates included Aspergillus species, Penicillium species and Mucor. From the present study, the microbial count of Ugba revealed that the samples had a total heterotrophic bacteria count which ranged from 1.38 × 107 cfu/g to 2.61 × 107 cfu/g. The total coliform count  ranged from 6.1×105 cfu/g to 1.16 ×106 cfu/g. The total lactic acid bacteria count  ranged from 5.8 × 105 cfu/g to 1.14 × 106 cfu/g. The total fungal count  ranged from 1.7 ×105 cfu/g to 3.8 ×105 cfu/g. It was observed in this study that Bacillus species is the most frequently occurring isolate with a high percentage occurrence of 26(52.0%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus at 15(30.0%), Lactobacillus plantarum at 14(28.0%), Micrococcus species at  9(18.0%), Proteus species at 7(14.0%), Lactobacillus brevis at 6(12.0%) and also Enterobacter species at 4(8.0%). Among the fungal species, Mucor was the most predominant and occurring at 24(48.0%), followed by Penicillium species at 13(26.0%) and also Aspergillus species at 12(24.0%). Conclusively, this study revealed facts about Ugba showing its poor shelf life associated with uncontrolled fermentation and poor packaging on the products and also underscores the need to maintain improved hygiene standards and good manufacturing practices (GMP) in the preparation of Ugba to minimize the microbial contamination of Ugba.