Microbiological quality of some groundnut products hawked in Bauchi, a Nigerian City

The microbial quality of roasted groundnut , Kulikuli, Yaji and Dankwa hawked in three major areas in Bauchi, Northeastern Nigeria was determined. The microbial load of the product from from each location differs, while that of bacteria isolates ranges from 1.16±0.32x105 to 5.92±0.59 x105 colony forming units/gram (cfu/g), the fungal count ranges from 1.91±0.32 x104 to 8.60±0.22x104 cfu/g of the samples. Roasted groundnut had the highest count of micro-organisms followed by Kulikuli, then Yaji and Dankwa had the least. The dominant mold in these products was Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus Stolonifer and A. flavus while the other associated fungi includes Penicillum citrinum, Mucor spp. and Macrophomina phaseolina. The bacterial isolates found associated with these groundnut products include Staphylococcus aureus, S. aureginosa, Micrococcus spp. and Bacillus cereus. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 6 Number 2 (April-June 2001), pp. 53-55 KEY WORDS: Arachis hypogaea L, Kulikuli, Yaji and Dankwa, Bauchi, roasted groundnuts, microbial quality.