MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF DAWA; A LOCALLY PRODUCED INFANT FOOD .

ABSTRACT Dawa is a Nigerian fermented cereal pudding made from maize, millet and sorghum. It has a smooth creamy texture and is often served as breakfast food or snack. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of dawa. A total of thirteen (13) samples comprising of three (3) samples each of dawa, sorghum, millet and maize were purchased from three different location (Ahiaeke, Orieugba and Isigate) in Umuahia. A control sample of dawa was produced in the laboratory. They were processed and inoculated onto appropriate media using standard microbiological methods to identify and enumerate the resulting colonies. The total heterotrophic plate count of the grains, (Maize, millet and sorghum) ranged from 1.9 x 106 to 2.2 x 106 Cfu/g. The total coliform count ranged from from 1.7 x 106 to 2.2 x 106 Cfu/g while the total fungal count ranged from 5.3 x 103 to 3.0 x 103 Cfu/g. The total heterotrophic plate count of dawa ranged from 2.5 x 105 to 1.8 x 105 Cfu/g. The total coliform count ranged from 2.5 x 105 to 2.8 x 105 Cfu/g while the total fungal count ranged from .6 x 103 to 3.7 x 103 Cfu/g. The presence of Proteus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Lactobacillus sp., E. coli, Pseudomonas sp. Citrobacter sp. Salmonella sp. and Micrococcus sp. and fungi such as Aspergillus sp., Trichosporon sp., Rhizopus sp., Saccharomyces sp., Candida sp. and Fusarium sp was identified. The presence of these organisms suggests that hygienic practices during production, storage, and handling are essential to minimize contamination, especially in foods for infants. The findings showed that dawa is a highly recommended meal for babies, especially those just weaned.