Okeke  Onyeka, Ezeh  Ernest, A.C.  Ozuah, C.C.  Ezejiofor, 
    Effect of Processing on the Microbial Load of Maize Meal Products Sold Withing Enugu Metropolis,
    Environmental Research Journal,
    Volume 14,Issue 2,
    2020,
    Pages 45-50,
    ISSN 1994-5396,
    erj.2020.45.50,
    (https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=erj.2020.45.50)
    Abstract: Studies were carried out to assess that effect of
processing on the microbial load of maize meal products
sold within Enugu metropolis using appropriate microbial
and biochemical techniques. Eight pathogenic organisms
<em>(Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella
enteritidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus</em> spp.,
<em>Aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus and Candida albican)</em>
were isolated in the processed (Akamu, Agidi and Kunu
Zaki) and unprocessed maize samples. The pH levels of
Kunu Zaki, Akamu, Agidi and unprocessed maize
samples were 5.6, 5.1 and 4.9, respectively. The
percentage mean bacterial counts in the samples were
43.32, 34.35, 15.00, 3.70 and 3.53% for <em>Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Streptococcus</em> spp. and <em>Salmonella enteritidis</em>,
respectively. The percentage fungal contamination of the
processed and unprocessed samples were 78.49, 14.22
and 7.29% for <em>Bacillus cereus, Aspergillus niger</em> and <em>
Candida albican</em>, respectively. The mean bacterial and
fungal counts in the processed and unprocessed sample
were within tolerable limits of human consumption. The
samples were contaminated with the isolated pathogenic
organisms in the following order: Kunu
Zaki>Akamu>Agidi>unprocessed maize.
    Keywords: Maize;Akamu;Agidi;pathogenic bacteria and Kunu Zaki;unprocessed