1.1 Introduction
Suya meat is produced by smoking the raw beet with the addition of some spices, salt, oil, groundnut cake and flavors. The meat is first sliced into smaller pieces and the spices are rubbed onto it, it is later oven dried or over local source of heart. This allows the meat to get dried properly with the right taste before is gold to the consumers. This is gold at a specific joint or hawked when it is Gold at joint it is constantly kept warm over fire source. The hawked suya meat is carried about in open basin from place to place thereby exposing it to dust and other effects of the environment so doing harmful organisms find their ways into the meat there by coursing for poisoning. Food poisoning is an illness with acute gastro ertritis as a major symptom caused by the ingestion of food counting my harmful micro organizer or harmful substances (Tomatari, 1983).
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, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Meat is the flesh of animals which serves as food; it is obtained from sheep, cattle, goat and swine (Hamman, 1997). Meat is a major source of protein and have valuable qualities of vitamins for most people in many parts of the world, thus they are essential for the growth, repair and maintenance of body cells which is necessary for our everyday activities.
Meat could be traced back to human history, then when primitive men use raw flesh of dead animals, but as man developed, he domesticated as well as wild animals. Beef have been the major supply of meat in Nigeria as a result of extensive and semi-intensive cattle production system in Nigeria by Fulani and Hausa people of the northern Nigeria (Umoh, 2004).
Suya meat is a boneless lean meat of mutton, beef, goat or chicken meat staked on sticks, coated with its sauces, oiled and then roasted over wood using a fire from charcoal. It is a popular, traditionally processed meat product that is served hot and sold along streets, at clubs, picnics centers, and restaurants and within institutions. Suya meat is one of the intermediate moisture products that are easy to prepare and highly relish which is a mass consuming fast food and its preparation and sales are usually not done with strict hygiene condition because they are still done locally.
Due to the chemical composition and characteristic, meat are highly perishable food which provides excellent source of growth of many hazardous microorganisms that can cause infection in human and also lead to meat spoilage and economic loss. The most important bacteria meat spoilage is caused by lactic acid bacteria which is physiologically related group of fastidious and ubiquitous gram-positive organisms, these includes many species such as Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Streptococcus.
Since meat has a high nutritive value, microorganisms could easily grow on it. The possible sources of contamination are through slaughtering of sick animals, washing the meat with dirty water, handling by butchers, contamination by flies, processing close to sewage or refuse dumps environment, spices, transportation and use of contaminated equipment such as knife and other utensils. (Igyor and Uma, 2005).
The slaughtering process affords extensive contamination of sterile tissue with gram-negative enteric bacteria from animal intestine including Salmonella specieand Escherichia coli as well as contaminant such as gram-positive Lactic cocciassociated with humans, animals and the environment. Enterococci and Clostridiahave been isolated from lymph node of red meat animals (Lawries, 2000, Alexanderet. al. 1998).
Microorganisms grow on meat causing visual, textural and organoleptic changes when they release metabolite (Jackson et. al. 2001). The smoke produced as a number of effects including preservative effect resulting from the deposition of organic compounds all presents in the smoked product (Suya meat). (Dineenet.al.1999). A preservative effect is also induced by the surface drying that occurs to the extent of 30% total weight loss in hot smoked product. Antioxidant effect is produced by the phenolic deposit unto the product.
The microbial load in meat and meat product increases as long as growth conditions are favorable. The factor influencing microbial growth includes acidity pH, temperature, water activity, gaseous requirement, nutrient and competition of microbes for the nutrient. Controlling these factors implies maintaining long shelf life of meat and meat product but proper preservation of meat could be achieved by the combination of two or more preservation method which includes drying, salting and high temperature (Nester e, al 2001).
1.3 Statement of Problem
Pathogenic organisms are organizations that are referred to as specific health hazards associated with gusto intestinal disturbance counting foxiness. The victim suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea with more vomiting thus diarrhea usually manifest the illness, which when untreated individual in case where it does not result to death it had to unnecessary expanses in seeking medical advice. This has now made interested on how we can improve on our food hygiene to avoid contamination.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to determine the Microbial Profile of Suya Meat. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To isolate, microbial species associated with suya meat.
- To identify the microbial species associated with the suya meat.
- To isolate and identify the common spoilage organisms of suya meat often production thereby ensuring the safety of the population at risk in eating contaminated suya meat
1.5 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
H01: Suya meat sold around Ado-Ekiti metropolis does not contains pathogenic micro organisms.
H02: Suya meat sold around Ado-Ekiti metropolis does not contain micro organisms but the load is not enough to cause disease.
1.6 Significance of Study
The significance of this work is to enable those producers to improve the hygiene of the food (suya meat) and a good knowledge of safe food handling practice, suitable protective clothing to be worm end it will also enable us to be aware of various pathogenic organic and infection they transmit through food (suya meat). As a result of this, the prevention of contamination of food is to be adhered to. This can be achieved by Keeping high risk food at temperature that will inhibits the growth of bacteria, Ensuring that during preparation, food is in the danger zone for as short time as possible, Using suitable preservation such as salt and sugar and using various packing method like glass wares.
1.7 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Microbial Profile of Suya Meat sold in Ado-Ekiti Metropolis.
1.8 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).
1.9 Definition of Terms
Suya: is originated from Northern part of Nigeria is grilled meat coated with ground chili pepper, peanut powder, and other local spices.
Kundi: is a relish intermediate moisture meat (dried meat) product, produced in the Northern part of Nigeria.
