1.1 Introduction
Soybean is a farm crop that belongs to the family of legumes. It is scientifically called (Glycine Max (L) Merrill). It is an annual herbaceous plant which is bushy, erect and with leafy plant structure. Its height is 40 – 100cm. It is believed that soybean has been part of the history of China for about 5,000 years, but now the production of soybean is circulating to different parts of the world.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of Technical Terms.
1.2 Background Of The Study
Awara is an unfermented soybean product (also known as soybean curd). It is a soft- cheese -like food produced by curding fresh hot soy milk with either a salt or an acid. Awara also known as Tofu is an important dietary snack food throughout Asia. It is the most important and popular food product from soybean in Eastern and Southern Asian countries. It is also gaining an increasing popularity in Western countries. Awara was developed some 2000 years ago and has become the world’s most popular soy food product due to its high protein. Soybean (Glycine max) has been proven suitable for the production of Awara. It is a legume of an exceptionally high protein content ranging between 38% and 42% with lysine constituting a substantial proportion. Soybean is considered as a good source of plant protein to man. It is also cheaper and could serve as an alternative to animal protein sources. It contains up to 40% protein compared with 1.0% to 5.6% protein content of most animal milk. Soybean is one of the most important legumes of the tropics. It has gained an increase in its utilization as a stable crop due to its high nutritional and excellent functional properties. It is also rich in carbohydrates (27.1%) and oil (20.6%) as reported by Osundahunsi et al. & kolawole et al. Soybeans contain Omega 3 fatty acids, devoid of cholesterol and easily digestible if properly processed. It contains phytoestrogens like isoflavones, genistein that have been reported in the prevention of cancer. Isoflavones are closely related to the antioxidant flavonoids. In Nigeria, Awara has been regarded as a cheap source of protein that is readily available and affordable for common man as compared to animal food products. This product due to its nutrient and high moisture content makes it suitable to the growth of microorganism, especially if there is no good manufacturing practices and proper storage that would increase its self-life. Awara has been used as meat and cheese substitute in rural and urban areas of South West Nigeria. Local processing of soy-cheese is usually done at the home level and usually has no good processing methods.It is important to provide current knowledge and possible future developments in food (Awara) safety. This study tends to investigate the microbiological quality of Awara sold within University of Maiduguri. Awara have been identified to have a limited shelf-life and so a potential health hazard to it consumers. Therefore, microbiological quality evaluation of Awara will be very important in order to ascertain its safety levels. Identifying different microorganism of Awara and its health implication on the consumers is imperative. This research seeks to ascertain the consequence of consuming foods been hawked within the University of Maiduguri campus.
1.3 Statement of Problem
The study reveals the following problems associated with hawked soya beans cake (Awara);
- Soya beans has certain anti-nutritional factors which may inhibit the availability of the desired nutrients,
- It has several fungus or bacteria which is harmful to the body system during meal intake.
- Soya beans cake has protein deficiency which is harmful to the body if not controlled or prevented.
- A lot of people have been found heal due to fungus presence in soya beans cake.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research is to isolate and identify microbial species associated with soya beans. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify the socio-economic characteristics of soya beans storage;
- To identify five different fungus associated with hawked soya beans
- To identify and discuss different methods of storage to prevent/control fungi associated with the soya beans during storage
- To assess profitability of soya beans production; and
- To investigate production constraints
1.5 Significance of the Study
The significance of soybean trypsin inhibitors (TI) lies in their implication in inhibiting the pancreatic enzymes (trypsin and chymotrypsin) resulting in reduction in protein digestibility both in humans and animals. It also causes hypertrophy of the pancreas in smaller animals like cats and chicks.
In addition to trypsin inhibitors, several other anti-nutritional and/or allergenic compounds associated with carbohydrate fraction exist in soybean glycinin, Beta - conglucinin, Oligosaccharides, lectins and Saponins, (Liener, 1994). Some specific types of carbohydrates in soybean meal can impart a “beany” taste and may influence its palatability.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focus on the isolation and identification of bacteria species associated with soya beans (Awara) using University of Maiduguri Campus, Borno State of Nigeria as a case study.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.8 Definition of Technical Terms
Soya bean: a small bean grown originally in Asia, used as a food for people and animals.
Fungus: any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including moulds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.
Bacteria: a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some that can cause disease.
Isolation: the process or fact of isolating or being isolated.
Identification: the action or process of identifying someone or something or the fact of being identified.
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