STAPHYLOCOCCOUS AUREUS

The main objective of food preservation has been on controlling microbial populations, with a specific emphasis on pathogenic microorganisms. Food preservation implies inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Hostile environments for microorganisms are an adequate food preservation strategy The application of heat treatments, reduction of storage temperatures, application of good manufacturing practices and the addition of additives define the food shelf-life and safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in frozen food such as chicken turkey and fish and to enumerate Staphylococcus aureus in the frozen foods’ samples. The samples were gotten from various locations in Benin City. The eight (8) samples were carried to the laboratory and analyzed following standard operations and procedures. The results of the microbial assessment of the frozen foods to isolate, identify and enumerate Staphylococcus aureus. The total heterotrophic bacterial counts revealed that the population density of the microorganisms varied from one sample to another. The mean total heterotrophic bacterial count ranged from 7.0×10 3 to 4.2×10 4 cfu/g for the samples. The results revealed the isolates as Serratia marcescens, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus. which indicated a diversity of the microbial species found in the frozen food samples. The results obtained in this study revealed that the bacterial isolates present in the frozen food samples were found to harbor certain enzymes and factors, which contributes to their virulence factors. The microbial assessment of the frozen foods revealed that Staphylococcus aureus had the highest prevalence amongst the isolates found in the frozen food samples with a percentage occurrence of 57.14%. From the study it was ascertained that freezing as a means of preservation can reduce bacteria contamination. Due to contamination of frozen food with the bacteria isolates found in this study to be of public health significance thus the usefulness of proper freezing and preservation cannot be overemphasized.