Vol.1, No2, Dec,2023-Article-3

ABSTRACT:

The research reports bacteriological evaluation of food contact surfaces at the Mini and Main campuses of the University of Abuja food canteens. 390 samples were collected from 43 canteens and bacterial isolation was done using Nutrient agar (HI MEDIA),Mannitol Salt Agar (HI MEDIA), Eosin Methylene Blue (TM MEDIA), and MacConkey Agar(TM MEDIA) by streak inoculation method. Ninety-five (95) questionnaires were distributed to forty-three (43) canteen owners and fifty-two (52) workers. In the face of adequate knowledge on food safety among participants, the results revealed that majority had unsafe hygiene practice, as most vendors do not wear apron, cover hair when serving or preparing food or clean food contact surfaces before and after preparing food to sell. Thus, vendors need education on safety hygiene practices knowing that knowledge without practice is vain. The percentage prevalence of bacteria organisms isolated from this study as confirmed using conventional biochemical characterization are as follows: Staphylococcus thirty (30) (22.9%), Streptococcus fifteen (15) (11.5%), Bacillus twenty-seven (27) (20.6%), Klebsiella ten (10) (7.6%), Escherichia coli forty (41) (31.3%) and Proteus eight (8) (6.1%) from both campuses. This study shows the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria organisms isolated from the food canteens in the mini and main campuses of the University of Abuja, hence the need to create awareness and enlightenment so as to eliminate or extremely decrease the prevalence of bacterial food borne Diseases around the campuses and its environs.