Microbiological Assessment of Production Stages of Fried Bean Cake (Akara) in Nigeria.

Abstract

Analysis of fried bean cake (Akara), a legume-based product, was carried out to determine the microbial hazard associated with each of the five stages of its production. Various microorganisms were identified at different stages of Akara production and they include species of Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Serratia, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Fusarium, Rhizopus, Saccharomyces and Candida. The total viable bacterial counts ranged from 4.5 × 103 cfu/g to 1.3 × 106 cfu/g, while the counts of Staphylococcus ranged from 1.8 × 1 02 cfu/g to 3.6 × 105 cfu/g and fungal counts ranged from 5.1 × 101 cfu/g to 2.6 × 104 cfu/g. The index of microbial load (104-106) was high at stages 2 and 3 of the production process, which are the milling process and addition of blended ingredients respectively, while the frying stage (stage 4) had low microbial counts. No coliforms were detected in any of the five stages of production of the fried bean cake. The results suggested that stages 2 and 3 were the Critical Control Points (CCPs), where some degree of control can be exercised over the microbial hazard of akara to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the microbial load to acceptable levels.