EFFECT OF MOTOR TYRE ROASTING ON BACTERIOLOGY AND HYDROCARBON LEVEL IN GOAT MEAT
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of motor tyre roasting on the bacteriology and hydrocarbon levels of goat meat. Fresh goat meat obtained from Urua Otor Market, was divided into two parts, with one part left unprocessed (CM), and the other (RM) processed by roasting using motor tyres. Total bacterial counts of roasted meat samples was carried out using serial dilution and pour plating on nutrient agar and MacConkey agar medium Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis using Shimadzu 21 FTIR spectrophotometer at 4 cm-1 resolution at 400-4000 cm-1 wavelength was used to determine hydrocarbon fractions in samples. Bacterial counts in control meat (cfu/g) was: 3.50 x 107 on nutrient agar and 1.99 x 107 on MacConkey agar compared to roasted meat (1.69 x 107 and 7.1 x 106 respectively), indicating that roasting reduces but does not eliminate microbial population. Bacteria identified were (%): Pseudomonas spp (12.8), Staphylococcus spp (17.6), Bacillus spp (20.4), Acinetobacter spp (12.2), Micrococcus spp (8.7), Salmonella spp (7.7), and Klebsiella spp (10.5). FTIR analysis revealed chemical changes in roasted meat (RM), including protein denaturation, lipid oxidation and formation of hydrocarbon compounds (with new peaks at 1457 cm-1 and 2185-2128 cm-1), likely due to tyre-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although roasting reduced microbial loads, tyre combustion introduced PAHs, associated with cancer and other chronic diseases. The study concludes that tyre roasting of meat is unsafe due to combined microbiological and chemical risks, and recommends that safer roasting methods, alongside regulation and public sensitization to prevent public health hazards.
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