BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MICROORGANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPOILAGE OF FOOD

Biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminthes constitute the major cause of severity ranging from mild indisposition to chronic or life – threatening illness or both. In developing countries such contaminants are responsible for food borne disease such as cholera, campylobacterosis E. coli gastroenteris, salmonelosis, shigellosis, typhoid fever, brucellosis, amoebiasis and poliomyelitis. Aeroobic colony counts coli form and enterococci enumeration are useful aannd most often used means of assessing overall sanitation in the environment of food service establishment. Niger State Polytechnic Zungeru canteens are commercial catering establishments that service the campus populace both the students and lecturers. Incidence of diarrhoea and abdominal pains are mostly prevalent at the school clinic following eating at the school canteen, such cases are presumed to be ‘’microbial food poisoning’’ even though, no clinic or laboratory findings are provided. Therefore, the hygiene standard of the food preparation areas, utensils as well as the personal hygiene practice of some of the kitchen personal is questionable The foodstuffs chosen for analysis may not represent the diversity of foods sold in the