Assessment of Microbial Safety of Bread Production Process in Some Selected Bakeries in Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Microorganisms in the ecosystem are always looking for nourishment in order to survive.Their feeding actions invariably have a negative impact on our food chain, which is harmful to human health.Food safety is critical in the quest for healthy diets and sustainable food systems because it ensures that food is wholesome for human consumption.The goal of this study was to investigate the microbiological safety of the bread making process in a few bakeries in the Lafia metropolitan region.In Lafia, a total of 20 samples were collected at random from four (4) separate bakeries.Aseptic samples were collected during the ingredient mixing, kneading, dough proofing, cooling, and packaging stages of the baking process.To make the stock solution for each sample, 10 g of each sample was weighed and suspended in 90 ml of buffered peptone water (BPW) and homogenized in a beaker.Using the pour-plating procedure, the stock solution was serially diluted, inoculated, and incubated on the appropriate agar.Colonies were established, enumerated, divided into subcultures, and identified.The result obtained showed that the mean heterophilic bacterial count range from 3.2 x 10 4 to 8.7 x 10 4 cfu/g; 6.7 x 10 4 to 1.2 x 10 5 cfu/g; 7.2 x 10 4 to 9.7 x 10 4 cfu/g; 0.3 x 104 cfu/g to 2.3 x 10 4 cfu/g during the mixing, kneading, dough rising, and cooling and packaging stages respectively.The mean coliform count during the mixing stage range from 1.2 x 10 4 to 6.7 x 10 4 cfu/g, 3.7 x 10 4 to 7.2 x10 4 cfu/g during the kneading stage, 5.9 x 10 4 to 8.7 x 10 4 cfu/g during dough rising stage and 0.9 x 10 4 cfu/g to 1.3 x 10 4 cfu/g at the cooling stage.The mean fungal count range in the different bread production processes included 0.9 x 10 4 to 1.4x 10 4 cfu/g during the mixing stage, 1.2 x 10 4 to 1.8 x 10 4 cfu/g at the kneading stage, 3.2 x 10 4 cfu/g to 6.9 x 10 4 cfu/g at the dough rising stage, while 1.3 x10 4 at the cooling and packaging stage was only seen in one bakery.Staphylococcus aureus, Lactococcus acidophilus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus fecalis, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus spp, and Saccharomyces spp., Aspergillus spp., Fusaruim spp., and Mucor spp.were among the bacterial and fungi isolates found.The various phases of bread production were contaminated with different bacteria, according to this study.During the mixing, kneading and rising of the dough, these bacteria are more prevalent.Because Lactococcus acidophilus, Lactobacillus spp., and Saccharomyces spp.are involved in bread fermentation, their presence is normal.The existence of other microorganisms in bakeries is a sign of how clean they are.As a result, during the manufacturing and packing of bread, handlers must maintain stringent hygiene.