Assessment of the microbiological quality of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) drink sold in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

This research work assessed the microbiological quality of tiger nut juice (Cyperus esculentus L.) sold at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt. A total of six samples were purchased from different vendors selling in the University main campus. Microbiological analysis was done using nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and Potato dextrose agar media to culture, enumerate and isolate organisms from the samples. The total aerobic heterotrophic bacterial count, coliform count, and fungal count, were estimated by the pour plate techniques. The results revealed that total heterotrophic bacterial count ranged 1.11×105 to 2.40×105 cfu/ml, while the total coliform count ranged from 1.54×105 to 3.10×105 cfu/ml. The total staphylococcus and yeast count ranged from 1.44×105 to 2.61×105 cfu/ml. The high coliform count and the isolation of pathogenic bacteria in some samples indicate that the Tiger nut drink was contaminated and a potential health hazard to the unsuspecting consumers. The producers and vendors of tiger nut drink should be enlightened on the consequences of poor hygiene and the need to adopt good manufacturing practices in the preparation and storage of the drink to prevent the outbreak of epidemics.