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ABSTRACT
Kunu-zaki and zobo drinks are nourishing non-alcoholic beverages widely consumed in Nigeria. There is no standardized method for their preparation thus production practices differ amongst retailers. They are usually prepared and packaged in an unhygienic environment. Food borne intoxication is common in man and the consumption of these local beverages, kunu-zaki and zobo may possibly be the cause of many infectious diseases in human. Therefore, there is need to evaluate the bacteriological quality of these local beverage drinks, kunu-zaki and zobo sold in and around UNIBEN campus. The pH values of kunu drinks ranged from 2.9-4.0 while that of zobo ranged from 2.5 – 3.2.Kunu-zaki and zobo drink samples were collected by purchasing randomly from five different locations around UNIBEN campus Ugbowo, one each from each location making a total of five kunu and five zobo samples. Samples of kunu-zaki and zobo drinks were cultured using nutrient agar and MacConkey agar media, using the pour plate method. Colony Forming Units per Millilitre of Kunun ranged from 1.0×104 to 9.8 ×105 while that of Zobo ranged from 2.0×104 to 10.5×105. The means and standard deviations of the heterotrophic and coliform counts of kunu-zaki and zobo were also determined. Isolates were identified by standard cultural, morphological and biochemical techniques. Bacterial isolates identification revealed the presence of Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus spp, and Escherichia coli. The results obtained from this study showed that both the Kunun and Zobo drinks sold within and around UNIBEN campus, Ugbowo were highly contaminated. Therefore, proper hygienic and sanitary measures need to be enforced during processing and packaging of these local beverage drinks and regulatory agencies like NAFDAC and public health agencies should be mandated to regulate the sales and distribution of these of these drinks so as to prevent foodborne disease outbreaks.
