EVALUATION OF MICROBIAL QUALITY OF SEASONINGS PREPARED USING ARACHIS HYPOGEAE AND LACTOBACILLUS PARACASEI

Abstract

Consumption of unwholesome food has being the major threat to the public health as shown in high rate
of morbidity and mortality. Microbial contamination introduces potent toxins that are highly debilitating
to visceral organs and overall metabolic processes in the body. This study evaluated microbial quality of
seasonings prepared using Arachis hypogeae and Lactobacillus paracasei. Groundnut seeds (Arachis
hypogeae) and dried tilapia fish were purchased at Eke Awka, Awka South L.G.A. Anambra State. The
natural seasonings were prepared using solid state fermentation process while the fermenter was
Lactobacillus paracasei obtained from Zaharm Analytical and Research Laboratory, Amawbia, Anambra
State. The microbial quality of the prepared seasonings was examined using standard microbiological
technique. The result revealed total aerobic heterotrophic bacterial count (THABC) in all the batches of
which Batch A was highest (4.0X10
2 cfu/g) while the lowest was Batch E (3.1X10
2 cfu/g). However, the
microbial counts were within the standard stipulated by the International Standard Organization (ISO). Furthermore, Total Salmonella count; Total coliform count; Total Faecal coliform count; Total Shigella
count; Total Staphylococcus aureus count; Total yeast count; Total mould count; Total Vibrio count, and
Total Listeria monocytogenes counts yielded no growth after 48 h incubation at 37
oC. Therefore, the
seasonings are wholesome for human consumption due to satisfactory microbial quality observed.