Microbiological Assessment Of Cyperus Esculentus Drinks Sold Within Umudike, Umuahia Abia State.:- Beneth, Genevieve C

abstract Tigernut drink is a ready to drink locally prepared beverage made from the tubers ofCyperus esculentus. The beverage is commonly hawked about and widely consumed. There is a public health concern about the microbiological quality of this drink. The aim of the study was therefore to assess the microbiological quality of tiger nut drink sold around Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State. Twenty samples of tiger nut drinks hawked in plastic bottles were purchased from five locations - Ishi gate, Federal Medical Center, Umuariaga, Amaoba and Ndioru in the month of May, 2021. The samples were inoculated at appropriate culture media to determine the toal viable counts. The samples were also plated on selective media to isolate specific bacterial pathogens. The total viable counts ranged from 3.00 x 107 to 9.90 x 107 CFU/ml. Total fungal count ranged from 3.20 x 107to 9.60 x 107. Three bacterial genera namely Escherichia sp., Staphylococcus sp., and Salmonella sp were isolated in the sample. Fungal genera encountered were Rhizopus sp., Saccharomyces sp., Aspergillus sp., Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp. and Mucor sp. were isolated from the tiger nut drinks. The total viable bacterial and fungal counts were not within the acceptable ranges stipulated by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)for locally prepared beverages, this is to say that the drinks were grossly contaminated. The isolation of potential food borne pathogen from all the samples is a real concern. There is a need to educate the producers oftiger nut drink on the need for good hygiene and good manufacturing practice to ensure acceptable microbiological quality of the drink. The public health departments also need to monitor the microbiological quality of local prepared beverages like tiger nut drinks to prevent food infection.