ANTIBIOTICS SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF MICROORGANISMS IN FRESH TIGERNUT (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS) DRINK IN IBAGWA COMMUNITY, AKWA IBOM STATE
Abstract
Fresh Tigernut drink is a popular beverage in many communities including Ibagwa. However, the drink’s safety and quality are often compromised by the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. This study investigate the Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Microorganisms present in Fresh Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) drink in Ibagwa community, Oruk-Anam LGA of Akwa Ibom State. Tigernut samples were collected from markets and vendors in Ibagwa community. The samples were analysed for the presence of microorganisms using standard microbiological techniques. The isolated microorganisms were then subjected to Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing using Disk diffusion method. The result reveals the Total Heterotrophic Bacteria Count for Ibagwa 1, Ibagwa 2, Ibagwa 3 to be 1.47×105 CFU/ml, 1.55×105 CFU/ml and 1.40×104 CFU/ml and the Total Coliform Count were 1.95×102 CFU/ml, 2.36×103 CFU/ml and 1.49×102 CFU/ml from the three vendors respectively. The result showed that the fresh tiger nut drink samples were contaminated with Bacteria such as Staphlococcus aureus (40.40%), Escherichia coli (25.25%), Bacillus sp (17.18%) and Klebsiella sp (17.17%). The Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing revealed that the isolated microorganisms exhibited varying degrees of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The findings of this research highlight the need for improved hygiene and sanitation practices in the production and handling of fresh tiger nut drink in Ibagwa community. It also highlights the importance of monitoring the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of microorganism in food and beverages to prevent the spread of Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
Full-Text Access Notice
In accordance with the NERD Policy on promoting peer-reviewed publication, public access to the full text of a project, thesis or dissertation is restricted for three years, allowing the author and supervisors sufficient time to pursue peer-reviewed publication.
During this period, researchers with legitimate academic or research purposes may request authorisation directly from the author to enable NERD to release the indexed full texts of the work using the form below.