Quality of Cassava Fufu Sold in Abakaliki Metropolis

Cassava fufu as sold and consumed in Abakaliki metropolis was evaluated for its shelf stability and microbial quality. Ten different samples of cooked cassava fufu were purchased from 5different sellers in Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State. This was divided into wrapped and unwrapped (five wrapped in low density polyethylene bags and five unwrapped) cassava fufu and stored at ambient temperature in the Food Microbiology Laboratory of the Department of Food Science and Technology. These samples were assayed for both chemical and microbial qualities. The chemical analyses included Moisture, pH and TTA. The result revealed that moisture content of the samples ranged from 52.5-54.9%. The values of the pH ranged from 3.70-6.40, while the values of Total Titrable Acidity (TTA) ranged from 0.004-0.063%. The result of the microbial analysis showed that there were increase in the fungal (1.0×104 (cfu/g)) and bacterial (2.91×106(cfu/g)) counts as the storage time increased with the control having microbial load within the acceptable levels. The fungal isolates from the samples include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium spp, while the bacteria isolates from the samples include Bacillus spp and Staphylococcus aureus. Statistically, there were significant difference (p<0.05) in appearance of the fufu as storage time increased. This study therefore will encourage good manufacturing practices among the producers and marketers to reduce proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in processed cassava fufu.