Microbiological quality assessment of exposed <i>Garri</i> sold in selected markets in Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

A common Nigerian fermented staple meal, garri can become contaminated during manufacturing, marketing and storage by a variety of germs, which could be harmful to consumers' health. In this work, isolates from garri sold in Oye-Ekiti Local Government Area were phenotypically and molecularly characterized. Nine samples were purchased from three different markets using sterile paper bags and examined in the laboratory. Based on morphological characteristics and biochemicaltests, the organisms isolated and their frequency of occurrence were Staphylococcus spp. (15 %), Bacillus spp. (70 %) and Enterobacter spp. (15 %) and Aspergillus spp. (100 %). Molecular characterization of two distinct Bacillus spp. identified them as Bacillus subtilis and Brevibacillus brevis exhibiting 85.9 % and 98.8 % percentage similarities, respectively. In order to minimize the level of contamination of garri by hazardous microorganisms, local processors of the product should be trained and retrained on food handling, food packaging, sanitation and hygienic practices.