ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA FROM FOOD VENDORS AND SOME VEGETABLE AVAILABLE AT OGBETE MARKET ENUGU

Code No: 479478

₦5,000.00

ABSTRACT

Safety of food is a basic requirement of food quality. A total of 25 street food samples (Jollof rice, egwusi soup, ugu, water leaf and green), were randomly purchased from five different vendors in Ogbete main market Enugu. The samples were transported in ice to the laboratory. The samples were bacteriologically analyzed using pour plate technique and sub-culture. Pour plate techniques was done by carrying out serial dilution of the sample after which the first tube and the last tube were picked and 1ml of each sample was pipette into a Nutrient agar, the plate was then incubated for 24 hours at 37oC after which the plate were examined for growth. Sub culture was done using bacteriological agar. All the screened food samples had varying levels of bacterial growth ranging from 1.0 X 105 to 3.0 X 106 cfu/ml. 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). Six bacterial species were isolated from the foods sampled. Staphylococcus arueus, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio spp, Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. More than one pathogenic micro organism were isolated from jollof rice and water leaf. The findings revealed that street foods are potential vehicles for transmitting food borne illnesses thus the need to develop practical strategies geared toward street food safety.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Bacterial are group of microorganism all of which lack a distinct nuclear membrane (and hence are considered more primitive than animal and plant cells) and most of which have a cell wall of unique composition. Most bacterial are unicellular; the cells may be spherical (coccu) rod â€“ shaped (bacillus), spiral (spirillum), comma â€“ shaped (vibrio) or corkscrew-shaped (spierocheate). Generally, they range in size between 0.5 and 5um. (Elizabeth and Martin, 2003).
Food is any substance that people or animal eat or drink or that plants absorb to maintain life and growth. Food is any substance consumed for nutritional support for the body; it is usually of plant or animal origin. (Ezeronye, 2007). Food consists of chemical compounds which heterophilic living thing consumes in order to carry out metabolic processed. They are also substances which when introduced to the digestive system under normal circumstances contribute to growth, repair and production of energy.
(Ezeronye, 2007). Foods are classified into six essential nutrients known as protein, carbohydrate, vitamin mineral, fat and oil, water.
PROTEIN: - One of a group of organic compounds of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen (sulphur and phosphorus may also be present). The protein molecule is a complex structure made up of one or more chains of amino acid, which are linked by peptide bonds. Proteins are essential constituents of the body; they form the structural material of muscles, tissues, organs, etc. and are equally important as regulators of function, as enzymes and hormones, proteins are synthesized in the body from their constituent amino acids, which are obtained from the digestion of protein in the diet (Elizabeth and Martin, 2003).
CARBOHYDRATE: - One of a large group of compounds, including the sugar and starch, that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and have the general formular CX (H20) Y- Carbohydrates are important as a source of energy: they are manufactured by plants and obtained by animals from the diet, being one of the three main constituent of food. All carbohydrates are eventually broken down in the body to the simple sugar glucose which can
then take part in energy producing metabolic processes. Excess carbohydrate, not immediately required by the body is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. In plants carbohydrate are important structural materials (e.g. cellulose and storage products (commonly in the form of starch). (Elizabeth and Martin, 2003).