Bacteriological Assessment of beef cattle slaughtered in Minna metropolis.

Abstract

The study was conducted to establish the bacterial status of beef cattle slaughtered in Minna metropolis. Five (5) abattoirs / slaughter slabs were selected for the study, they include;Bosso, Maitumbi, Chanchaga, Tunga and Maikunkele. A total of fifty (50) freshbeef samples were collected for a periodof ten (10) weeks and analysed for total viable bacterial counts. Four bacteria that were characterized and identified are Bacillus subtilise,Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia and Streptococcus faecalis. The total viable counts ranged from 9.0x104± 4.8x 106CFU/g. The mean viable bacterial counts for the various locations include1.03x106± 2.36x106, 1.55x105± 0.08x105, 5.11x105± 1.2x105, 1.4x106±3.12x106 and 7.19x105 ±2.19x105 for Bosso., Maitmbi, Chanchaga, Tunga and Maikunkele, respectively. The results revealed high bacterial counts and significant differences. Tunga revealed to have the highest mean bacterial count of 1.48x106 CFU/g, while Maitumbi had the least mean bacterial count of 1.55x105 CFU/g. It is recommended that the quality control system in use at the various abattoir/slaughter slabs be improved upon