The bacteriological quality of dried sliced beef (kilishi) obtained from three selling points in Ilorin metropolis was determined in order to ascertain its safety. The total bacterial count,
Enterobacteriaceae
count,
Staphylococcus aureus
count and
E.coli counts were used as index of bacteriological quality. Samples from Oja-gboro had the highest total bacterial count of 3.5 x 10
4 cfu/g;
Enterobacteriaceae count of 2.9 X 10
4 cfu/g;
S. aureus count of 2.05 X 10
4 cfu/g and
E.coli count of 3.8 X 10
1 cfu/g. Bacterial species isolated from the samples were
S. aureus,
Pseudomonas
species,
E. Coli,
Klebsiella
species and
B. subtilis. The high bacterial count and diversity of bacterial isolates from the samples tested is an indication of its low bacteriological quality, and this can make it a potential source of food infection. Standard hygienic practices are therefore recommended at both pre- and post-production stages.
