Microbiological Quality of Oven Roasted Plantain (Musa parasidica)

Abstract

In this study, the microbiological quality of oven roasted plantain was investigated and compared with open charcoal roasted roadside sold plantain purchased from Tunga market, Minna, Niger State (Control). The Total Viable Count (TVC), Total Plate Count (TPC), Total E. coli Count (TEC) and Total Staphylococcus Count (TSC) were accessed by inoculating into different selective media using MacConkey agar, Nutrient agar and Mannitol salt agar for day 0, day 5 and day 10 after production. TVC ranged from 1.0 × 10 6 to 2.0 × 10 7 cfu/g while TPC ranged from 1.0 × 10 6 to 2.40 × 10 7 cfu/g. The TEC recorded no growth for day 0 to day 5. However, the growth became visible at day 10 in CU10 (3.0 × 10 6 cfu/g) and OP10 (1.5 × 10 6 cfu/g) while TSC ranged from no growth on day 1 to 2.1 × 10 7 cfu/g on day 5. The level of contamination of oven roasted plantain and charcoal roasted boli were high and above the International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods (ICMSF) standards for ready to eat foods. Therefore, there is need to create more awareness among the vendors as well as the consumers of the roasted product as it is exposed to various sources of contamination such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dusts etc. to avoid any associated health implications.