ABSTRACT

Microbial assessment of smoked Scombia scombia spp. of fish procured from two markets in Owerri metropolis was carried out. The samples were analyzed using bacteriological and fungi media. The average bacteria counts ranges from 3.1X106-6.8X106cfu/g while the average fungi counts ranges from 0.0-0.3X106cfu/g. Four species of bacteria were isolated which areStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, bacillus spp., and Salmonella spp. Three species of fungi isolated are Mucor spp., Yeast spp., and Aspergilus spp. The higher levels of microorganisms identified from smoked fish purchased from the markets can be attributed to poor handling and improper smoking process adopted by fish mongers.