International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 2 Number 10 (2013) pp. 224-229

Evaluation of turkey meat for bacteria and indicator microorganisms of public health importance

E.Nwachukwu*, and O.H.Nnamani

Department of Microbiology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Microbiological quality of frozen turkey meat sold at different markets in Umuahia area was investigated. The meat was evaluated for total viable count (TVC), total coliforms (TC), Salmonella sp and Staphylococcus aureus using standard bacteriological methods. The TVC ranged from 5.2 x 10 5 to 7.2 x 10 5 cfu/ml while the TC ranged from 3.4 x 105 to 4.9 x 105 cfu/ml. Salmonella sp and Staphylococcus aureus were determined at various levels. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of isolates were determined. Salmonella sp and Staphylococcus aureus were highly resistant to most of the commonly used antibiotics but showed high level of sensitivity to gentamicin. The results of this study suggest that the meats were not properly processed and there might be risk of meat spoilage and food poisoning especially if it is not adequately boiled before consumption.

Keywords

Turkey; microbiological quality; antimicrobial susceptibility.