Bacteriological assessment of locally fermented milk (nono) produced from Maidako, Niger State.

Abstract

Nono is a locally fermented dairy product made from cow's milk, commonly found in northern Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the bacteriological quality of nono produced in Maidako, Niger State. Five samples were collected from the different stages of production (directly from the udder, after mixing the milk form several cows, after sieving the milk, after fermentation, and after churning). The samples were cultured on Nutrient and MacConkey agar for total bacterial and total coliform counts using pour plate method. Results revealed that the total viable count (TVC) in the different stages of ‘nono’ production ranged from 1.00x106±0.00 - 9.00x106±0.00 while the total coliform count (TCC) ranged from 1.00x106±1.00a - 7.50x106±0.50b. A total of 34 isolates were recorded. The bacteria isolated were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter freundii, Staphylococcus aureus, Kocuria rosea, and species of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Proteus, Lactococcus, and Shigella. Bacillus subtilis had the highest frequency of (7) 20.59 % followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4) 11.76 % while the lowest frequency of 1 (2.94 %) was recorded for Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter freundii, Kocuria rosea and Streptococcus sp. Consumption of nono produced in the study area poses a potential public health threat due to the presence of pathogenic organisms therefore precautionary measures such as pasteurization should be practiced.