ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIVE AND MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITIES OF LOCALLY PREPARED CHEESE (WARA) RETAILED IN ONDO STATE

Abstract

This study was conducted to access the nutritive quality and microbial status of locally prepared cheese (Wara) retailed in Ondo State. Fresh samples of cheese were collected from three locations in Ondo state namely; Akure, Ondo and Owo. Three samples were collected from each location and each sample was replicated thrice. The experimental design was the completely randomized design. The proximate and microbial analyses were determined using standard procedures. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in Ash, Crude protein, Fat and Lactose while the dry matter was not significantly (P> 0.05) affected as values ranged from 44.59 — 45.05%. Cheese samples from Ondo town had the highest protein, Ash, and Lactose contents of 20.99, 0.75 and 0.42% respectively. Cheese from Owo had the least protein (17. 84%) and Lactose (0.32%) contents but had the highest fat content (17.62%) while samples from Ondo town had the least value (14.42%). The bacteria identified in the cheese samples were Micrococcus leteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus spp, Streptococcus spp and Serratia marcesces. The total bacteria colony count of cheese from Ondo had the highest bacteria count of 128.24 x 10 “cfu/ml, while that obtained from Owo had the lowest total bacteria count of 25.25 x 10°cfu/ml. The results showed that cheese retailed in Ondo was mostly contaminated compared to those from Akure and Owo towns