BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDY OF COOKED OGI (FERMENTED CEREAL WEANING FOOD) AND ITS POTENTIAL SAFETY IN A RURAL NIGERIAN COMMUNITY

Thirty households with children receiving the fermented cereal food og i were selected randomly from Ajara, a rural community in Lagos State, Nigeria. Eighty-one samples of ogi were collected from these househol ds at the time of administration to the children. The degree of bacter iological contamination and pH values of the cooked ogi samples were d etermined. The mean pH was 3.6+/-0.2. Faecal coliform contamination le vels of 3 to greater-than-or-equal-to 2400/ml were recorded in 26 (31. 3%) of the 81 ogi samples. Levels of faecal coliforms increased signif icantly (P<0.025) during storage of cooked samples for 9 h. The high c ontamination rate is unacceptable and is a potential health hazard. Al though fermenting food like ogi, resulting in a low pH, may reduce bac terial contamination, hygienic practices during handling and preparati on should be emphasized as adjuncts in intervention for control of dia rrhoeal disease in developing countries.