THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF SAMPLES OF GRUEL (KUNU) FOUND IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF SAMPLES OF GRUEL (KUNU) FOUND IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

Food is any substance, usually composed of  carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, which can be eaten or drunk by animals including humans for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sought from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus and fermented products (Jango-cohen, 2005). In developing Countries like Nigeria, people depend mostly on indigenous technology for food preparations especially food of plant origin. Some of these foods that originates from plant includes non alcoholic beverages made mostly from cereal grains. In addition to filling a basic human need, beverages form part of the culture of human society (Larry).

Kunu is a traditional non-alcoholic fermented beverage widely consumed in the Northern parts of Nigeria especially during the dry season (Adeyemi and Umar, 1994). Kunu is cheap and the cereals used in its preparation are widely grown throughout the savannah region of Nigeria such as Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto and Katsina States (Agoa, 1987). Kunu is consumed anytime of the day by both adult and children as breakfast drink or food complement, it is usually used as appetizer to entertain visitors in rural and urban centers and is commonly served at social gatherings (Onuorah et al. 1987; Amusa and Odunbaku, 2009).

              

Although there are various types of Kunu processed and consumed in Nigeria including Kunu zaki, Kunu gyada, Kunun akamu, Kunu tsamiya, Kunu baule, Kunu jiko, Amshau and Kunun gayamba. However, kunu zaki is the most commonly consumed.

               

Kunu processing is mostly done by women using simple household equipment and utensil. Depending on cereal availability, Sorghum, Maize, millet, Gunea corn or rice are commonly used for kunu preparation. According to Odunfa and Adeyeye (1985) the traditional processing of Kunu involves the steeping of grains, wet milling with spices (ginger, cloves pepper), wet sieving and partial gelatinization of the slurry, followed by the addition of sugar and bottling. The processed Kunu is usually packed for sale either in plastic bottles or in large containers and distributed under ambient temperature or cooled in a refrigerator where available.

1.2   SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

In developing nations like Nigeria, it has not been possible to have control over the processing of hawked foods, because most of the vendors lack the adequate knowledge  of food processing and handling practices. As such, there is likely to be a high risk of chemical and microbial contamination. A large number of lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, molds and yeast have been reportedly implicated in food spoilage as they use the carbohydrate content of the foods for undesirable fermentation processes (Odunfa, 1988; Ojokoh et al., 2002; Amusa et al.,2005). Therefore it becomes very necessary to conduct this research to determine the microbial load, nutritional and microbiological qualities of this non-alcoholic drink called Kunu-Zaki in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Nasarawa State.

            

1.3   AIM OF THE STUDY

The aims of this research is to determine the comparative analysis of microbial load of gruel (kunu) sold in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa campus.

1.4   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work is limited to the comparative analysis of microbial load of samples of gruel (kunu) found in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

1.5   NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF  KUNU

Kunun-zaki processed from sorghum grains contains 11.6% protein, 3.3% fat, 1.9% ash and 76.8% carbohydrate  and arrays of amino acid (Lichtenwalner et al., 1979).

However, this non-alcoholic beverage is however becoming more widely accepted in several other parts of Nigeria, including Port Harcourt metropolis, owing to its refreshing qualities.

The preparation of this beverage has become technology in many homes in the rural communities and more recently in the urban areas where commercial production due to support from the government through the poverty alleviation scheme, has helped to alleviate poverty among the people.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1   HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF KUNU

Kunu is a cereal-based beverage in Nigeria. It is marketed in all parts of Nigeria; the cereals used in its production are Millet, sorghum, and maize in decreasing order of preference (Gaffa, et al., 2002, Nwachukwu, et al., 2009).

Non-alcoholic beverages play a very important role in the dietary pattern of people in developing countries like Nigeria. They are regarded as after meal drinks or refreshing drinks during the dry season in rural and urban centres. The sorghum grain Kunu-Zaki has about 76.3% starch, 11.6% proteins, 3.3% fat 1.9% fibre and 1.3% ash along with a wide array of amino-acids  (Lichtenwalner et al., 1979). The additive that is used is sweet potatoes; it contains essential amino acid and is a rich source of vitamins (Osuntogun and Aboaba, 2004).