MICROBIAL PROFILE OF SUYA IN LAGOS

Suya is a popular spicy meat product in Nigeria. Ready-to-eat suya samples were collected from four popular ‘suya spots’ serving at least 250 consumers within ikeja, lagos State, Nigeria. Microbial analysis of the samples was carried out and the isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus spp., and Pseudomonas spp. The total viable counts for the samples ranged from 1.4 x 105 to 3.9 x 103 and 1.1 x 105 to 3.2 x 103 on nutrient agar and chocolate agar respectively. Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas recorded maximum percentage of occurrence. The result revealed that suya sold in the area were microbiologically unsafe and below acceptable standard for human consumption