SYNERGISTIC EFFECT OF SODIUM CHLORIDE AND SODIUM NITRITE CONCENTRATION ON GROWTH OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES ON RAW FOOD OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

The effect of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite concentration on growth of Listeriamonocy to gene in raw food of animal origin was carried out using standard bacteriological techniques. The results of total bacterial counts of different pork meat samples injected with pure isolate of Listeria monocytogene at different concentrations of NaCl and NaNO2 in respect to a time revealed that at day 1 to 5, meat sample treated with 90% concentration of NaCl and NaNO2mixture recorded bacterial counts ranged from 3.3 x l04 cfu/g to 12.2 x 104cfu/g, at 70% concentration of NaCl and NaNO2mixture recorded bacterial counts ranging from 4.7 x'104 cfu/g to 16.9 x 104cfu/g, meat sample treated with 50% NaCl and NaNO2 indicated bacterial counts ranging from 17.9 x 104cfu/g to 20.0 x 104cfu/g, at 30% concentration of NaCl and NaNO2 recorded bacterial counts ranged from 14.1 x 104 cfu/g to 25.0 x 104cfu/g, while control pork meat ranged from 30.1 x 105cfu/g to 43.5x 104cfu/g.The results of the study indicated a progressive decreases in the bacterial load of each pork meat samples treated with sodium chloride and sodium nitrite from day 1 to day 5 while control sample indicated an increase in the bacterial count.