Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences Paper

ASSESSMENT OF BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF BEEF IN OPEN MARKETS IN UYO METROPOLIS

H.I.J. UDOTA AND M. U. EKPO

Abstract

The bacterial contamination of red beef in open markets in Uyo Metropolis of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was assessed. Seventy-two beef cuts (6cm by 6cm by 4cm) samples were collected for 3 consecutive weeks from Abattoir (8 samples), Morning market (8 samples) and Evening market (8 samples). Each sample was crushed and 1 gm diluted serially using 10-fold dilution. One mL from the diluted sample was plated out using standard microbiological techniques and viable counts were made. The isolates from the abottoir were Staphyloccus aureus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermis, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition to these Proteus spp were isolated from the morning market meat samples. So also were Serretia spp and Streptococcus spp. additionally isolated from the evening market meat samples. The heterotrophic bacterial counts of the abattoir meat samples were 3.3 x 104 cfu/g, 2.6 x 104 cfu/g, and 2.4 x 104 cfu/g respectively for each of the three weeks while 4.8.106 cfu/g, 3.8 x 106 cfu/g, and 4.9 x 106 cfu/g were those of morning market meat samples per week respectively and 1.09 x 107 cfu/g,1.10x107 cfu/g 1.01 x 107 cfu/g were the counts for evening markets meat samples respectively. There were significant differences (P>0.05) in the viable bacterial counts between abattoir, morning and evening market meat samples. Streptococcus spp and Staphylococcus spp were the only species that exhibited positiveness when tested for pathogenicity. The isolated bacteria showed varied degree of sensitivity to various antimicrobial agents. The most potent agents were ofloxacin (85.09%), Perflacin (75.16%) and Gentamycin (61.4%), while Amoxicillin (15.53%), Tetracycline (13.66%) and Cloxacillin (1.90%) were the most resisted antimicrobial agents. Hence microbial testing of the meat put out for sale should be carried out for monitoring potential health hazard as part of HACCP programme.