THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF SAMPLES OF GRUEL (KUNU) FOUND IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF SAMPLES OF GRUEL (KUNU) FOUND IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

Food is any substance, usually composed of  carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, which can be eaten or drunk by animals including humans for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sought from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus and fermented products (Jango-cohen, 2005). In developing Countries like Nigeria, people depend mostly on indigenous technology for food preparations especially food of plant origin. Some of these foods that originates from plant includes non alcoholic beverages made mostly from cereal grains. In addition to filling a basic human need, beverages form part of the culture of human society (Larry).

Kunu is a traditional non-alcoholic fermented beverage widely consumed in the Northern parts of Nigeria especially during the dry season (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994). Kunu is cheap and the cereals used in its preparation are widely grown throughout the savannah region of Nigeria such as Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto and Katsina States (Agoa, 1987). Kunu is consumed anytime of the day by both adult and children as breakfast drink or food complement, it is usually used as appetizer to entertain visitors in rural and urban centers and is commonly served at social gatherings (Onuorah et al. 1987; Amusa and Odunbaku, 2009).

              

Although there are various types of Kunu processed and consumed in Nigeria including Kunu zaki, Kunu gyada, Kunun akamu, Kunu tsamiya, Kunu baule, Kunu jiko, Amshau and Kunun gayamba. However, kunu zaki is the most commonly consumed.

               

Kunu processing is mostly done by women using simple household equipment and utensil. Depending on cereal availability, Sorghum, Maize, millet, Gunea corn or rice are commonly used for kunu preparation. According to Odunfa and Adeyeye (1985) the traditional processing of Kunu involves the steeping of grains, wet milling with spices (ginger, cloves pepper), wet sieving and partial gelatinization of the slurry, followed by the addition of sugar and bottling. The processed Kunu is usually packed for sale either in plastic bottles or in large containers and distributed under ambient temperature or cooled in a refrigerator where available.

1.2   SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

In developing nations like Nigeria, it has not been possible to have control over the processing of hawked foods, because most of the vendors lack the adequate knowledge  of food processing and handling practices. As such, there is likely to be a high risk of chemical and microbial contamination. A large number of lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, molds and yeast have been reportedly implicated in food spoilage as they use the carbohydrate content of the foods for undesirable fermentation processes (Odunfa, 1988; Ojokoh et al., 2002; Amusa et al.,2005). Therefore it becomes very necessary to conduct this research to determine the microbial load, nutritional and microbiological qualities of this non-alcoholic drink called Kunu-Zaki in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Nasarawa State.

            

1.3   AIM OF THE STUDY

The aims of this research is to determine the comparative analysis of microbial load of gruel (kunu) sold in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa campus.

1.4   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work is limited to the comparative analysis of microbial load of samples of gruel (kunu) found in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

1.5   NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF  KUNU

Kunun-zaki processed from sorghum grains contains 11.6% protein, 3.3% fat, 1.9% ash and 76.8% carbohydrate  and arrays of amino acid (Lichtenwalner et al., 1979).

However, this non-alcoholic beverage is however becoming more widely accepted in several other parts of Nigeria, including Port Harcourt metropolis, owing to its refreshing qualities.

The preparation of this beverage has become technology in many homes in the rural communities and more recently in the urban areas where commercial production due to support from the government through the poverty alleviation scheme, has helped to alleviate poverty among the people.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1   HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF KUNU

Kunu is a cereal-based beverage in Nigeria. It is marketed in all parts of Nigeria; the cereals used in its production are Millet, sorghum, and maize in decreasing order of preference (Gaffa, et al., 2002, Nwachukwu, et al., 2009).

Non-alcoholic beverages play a very important role in the dietary pattern of people in developing countries like Nigeria. They are regarded as after meal drinks or refreshing drinks during the dry season in rural and urban centres. The sorghum grain Kunu-Zaki has about 76.3% starch, 11.6% proteins, 3.3% fat 1.9% fibre and 1.3% ash along with a wide array of amino-acids  (Lichtenwalner et al., 1979). The additive that is used is sweet potatoes; it contains essential amino acid and is a rich source of vitamins (Osuntogun and Aboaba, 2004).

It provides a source of income and a means of poverty alleviation and contributes to variety in the diet and the food security of millions. Small-scale food industry also provides linkages to local suppliers of agricultural raw materials and to income generating activities such as the manufacture of machinery, packaging and ingredients (FAO, 1997).

The quality of the drinks depends on the raw materials and the hygiene of the personnel, water and the production environment. Brief fermentation, involving mainly lactic acid bacteria and yeast, usually occurs during sleeping of grains in water over 8-48 hours (Odunfa and Adeleye, 1985).

The consumption rate of the beverage has also been studied (Gaffa and Ayo, 2002). Owing to the high demand for this product and the high consumption rate, it is thought that the present traditional production process is outdated, inefficient, time consuming and with product quality varying between batches.

Most of these beverages are made up of about 90% of water, sugar, flavouring agents and sometimes preservatives (Osuntogun and Aboaba, 2004) but some of the waters used for kunu processing such as wells and boreholes are prone to contamination from various sources. It has been reported that the microbiological quality of most of the pipe borne and well water supplies to some communities in Nigeria is poor with coli form counts far exceeding the level recommended by WHO (Adesiyun 1983). Feacal contamination of water supplies and contaminated food handlers has most frequently been implicated in the outbreak of food poisoning caused by Escherichia coli (Adams and

Moss, 1999). Unsafe water is a global public health threat, placing persons at risk for a host of diarrheal and other disease as well as chemical intoxication Hughes and Koplan, 2005, Pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella sp and Escherichia coli are naturally present in some soil, and their present on fresh produce is not rare.

Salmonella, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio cholerae, parasites, and viruses are more likely to contaminate foods most especially ready to eat food.

The presence of the amount of sanitary indicator organisms in foods are of importance in the assessment of the quality and safety of foods

(Egwaikhide and Faremi, 2010); Edema et al., (2008) reported that in developing countries, despite the appeared death of sustainable disease surveillance and reporting, it is widely known that cholera, Salmonellosis, Shigellosis, Typhoid, Brucellosis, Poliomyelitis and Escherichia coli infections are prevalent (FAO/WHO, 2003). A major obstacle in the consumption of Kunu is the outbreak of listeriosis, a food borne disease called listeriosis, is caused by listeria monocytogenes, a gram positive, facultative anaerobe which occurs singly or in pairs, also in short chains. (Murray et al, 2002). Even though, epidemiological evidence on outbreaks of food borne disease as a result of taking kunu is scarce, there are indications that it could still be contaminated to unsafe level at the point of consumption with air flora an other microorganisms from handlers, equipment serving containers, raw materials and lack of portable water for processing. This indicates the need for more effective  methods to control microbial access to foods through efficient sanitation that helps to produce food that, when properly handled and stored, will have a long shelf life and reduce incidence of food born diseases ( Marriot, 1989 Cords and Dychdala, 1993).

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics represents a serious problem for clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry and great efforts are being made to reverse this trend, and one of them is widespread screening of medicinal plants from the traditional system of medicine hoping to get some newer, safer, and more effective agents that can be used to fight infections diseases (Natarajan et al, 2003). Azadirachta indica is one of such medicinal plants belonging to the family Meliaceae and is Indigenous to southern Asia (Akula et al., 2003).

2.2   LOCAL PRODUCTION OF KUNU

The traditional production process involves: steeping the grain in a local household utensils such as calabashes, and earthen were vessels and grinding of the stepped grain with ginger in grinding machines to pulverize the grains for enzymatic actions. (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994; Onuorah, et al., 1987).

The traditional production of Kunu is still at village technology level. The process of production involves wet milling of the cereal, wet sieving, partial gelatinization of the slurry, sugar addition and bottling (Adejuyitan et al., 2008). The fermentation process may last for 12-72hours (Gaffa and Ayo, 2002) after which it is kept for acidification to develop.

2.3   HEALTH BENEFITS OF KUNU DRINK

According to healthdiaries.com, millet which is the main raw material for kunu contains a poly-nutrient called lignan, which has cancer fighting properties and is beneficial in the treatment of heart disease. Other health benefits of kunu drink are as follows:

                     i.        It is also known to reduce the risks associated with diabetes. Kunu is good for women that have reached the stage of menopause as it helps them relax their muscles.

                    ii.        It is also recommended for nursing mothers as it help increase the flow of their milk.

                  iii.        Due to the ginger content, it lowers the cholesterol level and prevents the formation of blood cloths.

                  iv.        It contains fibre, thus helping to promote a healthy digestive system.

                   v.        Kunu helps in the prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

2.4   BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Biochemical analysis carried out on the Kunu drink samples include the pH, the % ash, % moisture content, % total solid, protein, total titrable acidity, carbohydrate content and ether extract (AOAC, 1990).

2.5   MICROBIAL ANALYSIS

Isolation of microbes associated with Kunu zaki drinks:Ten fold dilutions of each kunu samples were made using 0.1% peptone water. Appropriate dilutions were made and 0.1 mL of the diluted samples were pour plated in triplicate plates on Plate Count Agar (PCA) for viable count, Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) for Escherichia coli count, Manitol Slant Agar (MSA) for Staphylococcus count, Salmonella/Shigella agar for almonella/Shigella counts, and Briliant bile broth (BGBB) for coliform test. All plates were incubated for 48hrs at 300C.

Identification of the microbial isolates: Colonies were selected randomly, bacteria cultures were characterized and identified using various morphological and biological test such as gram stain, spore stain, motility, catalase, coagulase, indole, MR –VP, urease, citrate, Oxidase and sugar fermentation. Pure cultures of each isolate were obtained by streaking the specific colonies on suitable media and incubated appropriately; these were maintained in an agar slant in McCartney bottles. The identification of the microbial isolates was based on classification Scheme proposed by Harrigan and McCance (1976), Buchanan and Gibbson (1974) and Collin and Lyne (1984). The identification was based essentially on morphological and biochemical reactions.

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