Bacteriological Quality of Foods and Water Sold by Vendors and in
Restaurants in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria: A Comparative Study of
Three Microbiological Methods
Bacterial count in prepared food or water is a key factor in assessing
the quality and safety of food. It also reveals the level of hygiene
adopted by food handlers in the course of preparation of such foods.
This comparative study evaluated the bacteriological quality of food
and water consumed in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria, using three
bacteria enumeration methods. Data obtained are assumed to reflect the
level of personal and environmental hygiene in the study population.
Ten types of foods—beans, yam, abacha, okpa, moimoi, pear,
cassava foofoo, rice, agidi, and garri—and 10 water samples were
evaluated for bacteriological quality, precisely determining the level
of coliform contamination, using the most probable number (MPN),
lactose fermentation count (LFC), and Escherichia coli count (ECC)
methods. Bacterial counts differed significantly (p<0.05) among the
various food samples. However, this did not differ significantly in the
three methods used for the enumeration of coliforms, suggesting that
any of the three methods could be validly used for such studies with
confidence. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the two
major coliforms identified among 98 coliform isolates obtained from the
various food samples, of which 78 (79.6%) were assumed to be of human
origin on account of their ability to grow at 44 oC. The level of
coliform contamination in the food samples from vendors and restaurants
(geometric mean count 7.64-9.21; MPN ≥50) were above the accepted
104 colony-forming unit/g or MPN ≤10 limits. The results of the
study, therefore, call for stringent supervision and implementation of
food-safety practices and regular education on food and personal
hygiene among food vendors