Bacteriological quality of frozen chicken sold in the capital cities of the South Eastern States of Nigeria

Aims: To determine and compare the bacteriological quality of frozen chicken sold in the Capital cities of the South Eastern States of Nigeria. Method: A total of 150 samples (frozen chicken) were collected from different Capital cities (Abakaliki, Awka, Enugu, Owerri and Umuahia) of the five (5) South Eastern States of Nigeria, which were 30 samples each State. The Aerobic Plate Counts (APC), Total Coliform Counts (TCC), Psychrotrophic Plate Counts (PPC), Escherichia coli counts, Staphyococcus aureus counts and the presence of Salmonella spp were determined by plate count technique using the appropriate media. Colony counts were taken from the plates with the specified number of colonies. Results: For the Capital cities which are Abakaliki, Awka, Enugu, Owerri and Umuahia, the samples mean values for the Aerobic Plate Counts (APC) were 9.61×106, 8.50×106, 6.12×106, 8.10×106 and 6.46×106 respectively, the Total Coliform Counts (TCC) were 4.80×103, 5.59×103, 2.46×103, 2.62×103 and 3.72×103 respectively, the Psychrotrophic Plate Counts (PPC) were 5.71×106, 4.57×106, 4.22×106, 5.53×106 and 4.41×106 respectively, the Escherichia coli counts were 2.33×103, 2.68×103, 1.56×103, 1.80×103 and 2.12×103 respectively, the Staphyococcus aureus counts were 5.58×103, 3.93×103, 4.36×103, 4.16×103 and 4.11×103 respectively and the incidence of Salmonella spp were 19, 13, 6, 15 and 16 respectively. Abakaliki with the highest mean values counts and highest incidence was the Capital with the highest bacterial load/contamination. Awka was the Capital with second most bacterial load. Enugu was the Capital with the lowest bacterial load. Owerri and Umuahia were contaminated but had bacterial load lower than those of Abakaliki and Awka samples. The bacterial load of Owerri and Umuahia tends to be equivalent. The mean values of the Capital cities exceed the international permissible limits and there were presence of Salmonella spp Conclusion: The frozen chicken meats sold in the Capital cities of South Eastern States of Nigeria are highly contaminated and can cause food poisoning when eaten raw or under cooked. Therefore, proper cooking should be done before consumption.