Determination of the Microbial Load on Spoilt Egusi
CHAPTER ONE
Aim and Objective:
- In order to develop awareness among the people about fruit juices in transmitting diseases this study was attempted to measure microbiological quality of industrially processed Orange fruit juices.
- This study aims at identifying the possible mediums through which contamination of fruit juice can occur and attempts to proffer possible ways of preventing these contaminations
CHAPTER TWO
MATERIALS AND METHOD
MATERIALS
Test tube, autoclave, Petri-dishes, incubators, inoculating loop and needle, weighing and balance, Bunsen burner, beaker, conical flask, masking tape, aluminum foil, bijou bottles, slides, cover slip, microscope, cotton wool, slides and cover slips, glass rod spreader, test tube stand, pipette, micropipette, incubator, refrigerator and hot air oven.
MEDIA USED
Nutrient agar, MacConkey Agar, Eosin Methylene Blue Algar and Salmonella-Shigella Agar.
NUTRIENT AGAR
It is a basal medium used in the preparation of more complex media. It is also used for sub-culturing organisms for the purpose of purification and for maintaining culture of control organisms. It consists of meat extract, peptone, sodium chloride, agar and water.
Composition of Nutrient Agar
- 0.5% Peptone: It is an enzymatic digest of animal protein. Peptone is the principal source of organic nitrogen for the growing bacteria.
- 0.3% beef extract/yeast extract: It is the water-soluble substances which aid in bacterial growth, such as vitamins, carbohydrates, organic nitrogen compounds and salts.
- 1.5% agar: It is the solidifying agent.
- 0.5% NaCl: The presence of sodium chloride in nutrient agar maintains a salt concentration in the medium that is similar to the cytoplasm of the microorganisms.
- Distilled water: Water is essential for the growth of and reproduction of micro-organisms and also provides the medium through which various nutrients can be transported.
pH is adjusted to neutral (7.4) at 25 °C.
Preparation of Nutrient Agar
- Suspend 28 g of nutrient agar powder in 1 litre of distilled water.
- Heat this mixture while stirring to fully dissolve all components.
- Autoclave the dissolved mixture at 121 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
- Once the nutrient agar has been autoclaved, allow it to cool but not solidify.
- Pour nutrient agar into each plate and leave plates on the sterile surface until the agar has solidified.
- Replace the lid of each Petri
CHAPTER THREE
RESULTS
Two genera of bacteria were isolated from the orange juice samples. The isolates were identified as Citrobacter freundii and Escherichia coli, by comparing their morphological and biochemical characteristics (gram stain, motility, catalase, oxidase, coagulase, indole, citrate, methyl red, voges proskauer, hydrogen sulphide and urease test).
CHAPTER FOUR
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
DISCUSSION
Fruit juices are very popular among the people of all ages around the world. Many microorganisms are found in fruit juice and soft drinks as environmental or raw material contaminations either during their growing in fields, orchards, vineyards or greenhouse or during harvesting, post-harvest handling and distribution. But relatively few can grow within the acidic and low oxygen environment. According to WHO (2003), a food is deemed to be adulterated if its content is composed in whole or in part of any poisonous or deleterious substance, which renders its contents injurious to health. Most fruit contains bacterial counts of 1×105cfu/cm2 on their surface. Improper handling of fruits adds these bacteria to juices leading to contamination (Durgesh et al., 2008).
CONCLUSION
The juices that are mishandled and mistreated during preparation or storage generally can get contaminated and cause disease. The disease agents do not only harm large groups of people but also sometimes result in serious disability and death. The lack of knowledge in cleaning, safe fruit juice preparation and contamination sources can contribute to the contamination process unknowingly to the people working in fruit juice industries. It is therefore, essential for the people who handle and prepare juices, to be properly trained in safe fruit handling technique. The microbiological quality of processed fruit juices is the most important aspect to be taken care of by the manufacturer. Negligence in this area may result in serious contamination that ultimately represents a low quality product to the consumers. As these unwanted unhygienic conditions are usually due to the lack of knowledge and unawareness to the fundamental sanitary principles, it is preventable by proper training and monitoring. The government authorized institute (like NAFDAC) should take intensive investigation to control the microbial and chemical quality of the juices as well as the public awareness about the adulterated fruit juices should be increased.
RECOMMENDATION
There is need to educate and advocate for good manufacturing practices among fruit juice manufacturers in Nigeria. Also relevant agencies such as NAFDAC need to ensure and enforce strict compliance to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) in all food and drink production sectors in Nigeria. Food and drinks safety concerns in this Country typically include inappropriate use of agricultural chemicals, the use of untreated or partially treated wastewater, the use of sewage or animal manure on crops, the absence of inspection, a lack of infrastructure, such as adequate refrigeration, poor hygiene, including a lack of clean water supplies, proper handling, and storage practices in the industries and in homes can prevent the majority of contaminations as well. Additionally, extensive quality control procedures should be maintained to ensure that these processes are effective.
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