The microbial load of cassava tubers that were grown at Awassa, Ethiopia, was
analysed. The total viable microbial count of fresh cassava, before cleaning,
ranged from 8.7x10
4 to 2.1x10
9
c.f.u/g whereas, in
thoroughly cleaned product it was reduced to 10
6 c.f.u/g (% C.V.,
19.5).
Enterobacteriacae
and spore former bacteria had mean counts of
10
4 and 10
3 c.f.u/g respectively. The dominant bacteria
groups within the aerobic mesophillic flora were
Acinetobactor spp
.
(29.1%),
Micrococcus spp
. (17.4%) and Enterbacteriacae (16%). Bacterial
spores,
Pseudomonas, Moraxella
and
Aeromonas
spp. Were detected in
a small proportions. Fate of
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Bacillus cereus
and
Listeria monocytogenes
in cassava juice was also
evaluated. Except in
B. cereus the growth of the bacterial strains was
retarded only at higher concentrations.
