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The present study was designed to investigate the microbial profile of vended ready-to-eat fried
chicken meat around two selected motor parks in Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State, Nigeria by
using pour plate culture method. The isolated organisms were screened and characterized using
standard microbiological and biochemical methods. The result of the total plate counts of bacteria
and fungi from ready-to-eat fried chicken meat collected from Nkalagu junction motor park and
Nwaezenyi motor park (both in Abakaliki metropolis) were 3.6x105 CFU/ml, 4.3x104 CFU/ml; and
0.25x105, 0.25x104 respectively. The bacteria and fungi species isolated from the fried chicken meat
analyzed in this study include: Staphylococcus spp. 2(6.7%), Salmonella spp. 4(13.3%), Bacillus
spp. 3(10.0%), Escherichia coli 6(20.0%), Pseudomonas spp. 8(26.7%), Enterobacter spp.
5(35.7%); Penicillium spp. 3(21.4%), Aspergillus spp. 5(35.7%), Neocosmospora spp. 2(14.2%) and
Mucor spp 4(28.5%). This study has shown that the fried chicken meat sold in this region contains
some infectious disease agents that are of bacterial- and fungal- origin; and these organisms could
be responsible for some of the food-related diseases that occur in these locations. Poor hygienic
conditions of food handlers, poor food processing, and poor food preservation and packaging
practices are some of the contributing factors to the occurrence of foodborne diseases. The
continuous inspection of food processing centers coupled with the practice of good personal hygiene
by food handlers will ensure the production and release of quality food that are microbiologically
safe for the public.
Key word: Microbial food contamination, food spoilage, food poisoning, Ready-to-eat food, Abakaliki