Microbial load and aflatoxin content of street foods sold around Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) campus

Abstract

The microbial density and diversity, as well as the presence of aflatoxin in selected street vended-foods sold in FUTA campus was investigated in this study. Seven selected food samples viz; cooked rice, raw rice, garri, eba, peanut, suya and pap, were purchased from vendors at four popular locations around the school campus. The microbial load and diversity in the foods were analyzed using standard methods. The bacterial counts ranged from 3.1 x 104 CFU/ml to 4.9 x105 CFU /ml, with peanut sample having the highest count and cooked rice having the lowest count. Bacterial isolates belonging to eleven genera (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Campylobacter, Listeria, Bacillus, Clostridium, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Escherichia) were obtained from the food samples. Mean Fungal counts of food samples ranged from 3.2 x 104 to 1.29 x106 SFU/ml. The fungi isolated include species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus and Candida. The high count of microorganisms coupled with the presence of Salmonella typhimurium and aflatoxins in some of the food samples portend danger to the consumers of such foods.